LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFQRNJA 
DAVIS 


L  SAMANTHA 

ON 

THE    RACE    PROBLEM 


BY 

JOSIAH   ALLEN'S  WIFE 

(MARIETTA   HOLLEY) 


ILLUSTRA  TED  BY 

F.   W.    KEMBLE 


NEW  YORK 

DODD,  MEAD   &   COMPANY 
PUBLISHERS 

LIBRARY 

UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
DAVIS 


COPYRIGHT,  1892, 

BY 

DODD,  MEAD  &  COMPANY. 
[All  rights  reserved.] 


LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 


PAGE 

"  THEY  wuz  TRACTS  AND  BIBLES" 7 

UNCLE  NATE  GOWDEY 12 

"THE  DUMB  FOOLS!" 18 

A  BLACK 21 

"  THE  OLD  AND  FEEBLE  ONES" 30 

'  •  I  SOT  DEMUTE" 34 

'•  THE  DARK  FACES  OF  THESE  APOSTLES" 40 

"  WITH  PHILURY'S  HELP" 46 

CHARACTER  SKETCH 51 

"  WHEN  URY  HAD  THAT  FIGHT  WITH  SAM" 56 

MELINDA 61 

MELINDA  HAS  A  FIT 63 

"  IT  wuz  '  HOLD  THE  FORT  '  HE  BELCHED  OUT  IN" 69 

"  I  KETCHED  HER  BY  HER  LlMB" 73 

PETER  AND  MELINDA  ANN 77 

DEACON  HENZY 83 

"JOSIAH'S  BALD  HEAD  AND  MlNE" 86 

THE  COLORED  CHILDREN 93 

OLD  DR.  CORK 99 

THE  SLAVE  WOMAN  WHO  POISONED  THE  CHILD 104 

MADELINE no 

COLONEL  SEYBERT 122 

"  LOW,  BRUTAL,  ENVIOUS  MlND" 128 

DEFENDING  HIS  HOME 133 

THE  LEADER 138 

FELIX  AND  THE  TEACHER 143 


4  LIST  OF  ILLUSTRATIONS. 

PAGE 

"  THE  OLD,  THE  FEEBLE" 149 

"His  OVERSEER" 153 

"A  LITTLE  TUMBLE-DOWN  COTTAGE" 155 

CLEOPATRA <. 156 

ROSY 161 

"  HE  WUZ  GLAD  TO  SET  DOWN" 167 

THE  OLD  NEGRO 172 

"  GAWGE  PERKINS  AM  DAID" 1 76 

ONE  OF  THE  MOURNERS 179 

"You  CAN  REPAIR  YOUR  DWELLIN' HOUSE. 185 

"AND    I    HAVE    GOT    THE    PANS" 189 

"  I  AM  NEEDED    THERE" Ig2 

"  THE  BUTTER-MAKER  UP  IN  ZOAR" 194 

"  JOSIAH  GIVE  UP  " 196 

DEACON  HUFFER 208 

"UNDER  THE  WHITE  CROSS" 211 

THE  JONESVILLIANS 215 

"  BOY  LAUGHED" 220 

RAYMOND  FAIRFAX  COLEMAN  223 

"  WITH  A  JUMPIN'  TOOTHACHE" 225 

"  THE  RELATION  ON  MAGGIE'S  SIDE'' 230 

BABE 237 

"  MY  TONE  RIZ  UP" 239 

"  I  HAD  BEEN  OUT  A  WALKIN' " 242 

A  POOR  WHITE 244 

ROSY'S  BABY 254 

URY 256 

SOME  NEIGHBORS 258 

AUNT  MELA 264 

"  DESPATCHED  TO   GET  BUTTERMILK" 271 

"  THE  BIG  PIAZZA" 277 

"  A  PERFECT  DAGON" 279 

A  KU-KLUXER  291 

"  PILOT  A  HELPLESS  UNIONIST" 296 


LIST   OF  ILLUSTRATIONS.  5 

PACK 

"  SET  DOWN  IN  OUR  SWAMP" 301 

"  HE  HASTENED  OFF" 305 

"To  KISS  SNOW  AND  BOY  GOOD-NIGHT" .  308 

"  AND  KILLED  HER  HENS" 312 

"  ONEXPECTED  COMPANY" 316 

"  MISERY".  . .   320 

' '  WHEREFOAH,  BREDREN,  LET  us  PRAY" 322 

ABE 326 

"  HE  wuz  A  WALKIN'  UP  AND  DOWN" 331 

"THIS  DARK  EARTH  VALLEY" 334 

HIRAM  WIGGINS'S  TWO  DAUGHTERS 338 

"  A  CLEAR  RIVER  RUNNING  THROUGH" 343 

"  EVERYTHING  wuz  READY" 347 

"  IN  THE  CHAIR  OF  THE  RULER" 353 

"  FACED  THE  GANG  OF  MASKED  MEN" 360 

"  WHEN  THE  MOON  HAD  RISEN  " 363 

"EXILED  BIRDS"   369 

VICTOR 373 

"  MAKIN'  SPEECHES" 375 

FATHER  GASPERIN 378 

"  FELIX,  HIS  WIFE  AND  LITTLE  NED" 380 

"  I  SOT  OUT  ON  THE  STOOP" .   .  384 


"  THEY   WUZ   TRACTS   AND   BIBLES." 


CHAPTER    I. 

IT  was  entirely  onexpected  and  onlooked  for. 
But   I   took  it   as  a  Decree,    and  done  as 
well  as  I  could,  which  is  jest  as  well  as  any 
body  ought  to  be  expected  to  do  under  any 
circumstances,  either  on  my  side  or  on  hisen. 
It  was  one  of  the  relations  on  his  side  that  come 
on  to  us  entirely  onexpected  and  on  the  evenin'  stage 
that  runs  from  Jonesville  to  Loontown.      He  was  a 
passin'  through  this  part  of  the  country  on  business, 
so  he  stopped  off  at  Jonesville  to  see  us. 

He  come  with  his  portmanty  and  a  satchel,  and 
I  mistrusted,  after  consultin'  them  signs  in  the  pri 
vacy  of  my  own  mind,  that  he  had  come  to  stay  for 
quite  a  spell. 


8  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

But  I  found  in  the  fulness  of  time  that  my  worst 
apprehensions  wuz  not  realized. 

I  found  instead  of  pantaloons  and  vests  and  things 
which  I  suspected  wuz  in  the  big  satchel,  I  found 
out  they  wuz  tracts  and  Bibles. 

Why,  I  wuz  fairly  took  aback  when  I  discovered 
this  fact,  and  felt  guilty  to  think  I  had  been  cast 
down,  and  spozed  things  that  wuzn't  so. 

But  whether  they  are  on  his  side  or  on  your  own, 
visitors  that  come  when  you  are  deep  in  house- 
cleanin',  and  most  all  your  carpets  took  up,  and 
your  beds  oncorded,  and  your  buttery  shelves  dry 
and  arid,  can't  be  welcomed  with  quite  the  cordiality 
you  would  show  one  in  more  different  and  prosper 
ous  times. 

But  we  found  out  after  a  little  conversation  that 
Cousin  John  Richard  Allen  wuz  a  colporter,  and 
didn't  lay  out  to  stay  only  one  night.  So,  as  I  say, 
I  done  the  best  I  could  with  him,  and  felt  my  con 
science  justified.  >^- 

He  had  a  dretful  good  look  to  his  face,  for  all 
mebby  he  wouldn't  be  called  beautiful.  His  eyes 
wuz  deep  and  brilliant  and  clear,  with  a  meanin'  in 
'em  that  comes  from  a  pure  life  and  a  high  endeavor 
— a  generous,  lovin'  soul. 

Yes,  though  it  wuz  one  on  his  side  instid  of  mine, 
justice  makes  me  say  he  seemed  to  be  a  good  feller, 
and  smart  as  a  whip,  too.  And  he  seemed  to  feel  real 
friendly  and  cousinly  towards  us,  though  I  had  never 
laid  eyes  on  him  more  than  once  or  twice  before. 
Josiah  had  known  him  when  they  wuz  boys. 

He  had  lived  in  Vermont,  and  had  been  educated 
high,  been  through  college,  and  preachin'  schools 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  9 

of  the  best  kind,  and  had  sot  out  in  life  as  a  minis 
ter,  but  bein'  broke  up  with  quinsy,  and  havin'  a 
desire  to  be  in  some  Christian  work,  he  took  to  col- 
porterin',  and  had  been  down  in  the  Southern  States 
to  work  amongst  the  freedmen  for  years. 

He  went  not  long  after  the  war  closed.  I  guess 
he  hated  to  give  up  preachin',  for  I  believe  my  soul 
that  he  wanted  to  do  good,  and  bein'  so  awful  smart 
it  wuz  a  cross,  I  know — and  once  in  a  while  he 
would  kind  o'  forget  himself,  and  fall  into  a  sort  o' 
preachin',  eloquent  style  of  talkin',  even  when  he 
wuz  conversin*  on  such  subjects  as  butter,  and  hens, 
and  farmin',  and  such.  But  I  know  he  did  it  entirely 
onbeknown  to  himself. 

And  to  the  table — the  blessin'  he  asked  wuz  as 
likely  a  one  as  I  ever  see  run  at  anybody's  table, 
but  it  wuz  middlin'  lengthy,  as  long  about  as  a  small- 
sized  sermon. 

Josiah  squirmed — I  see  he  did.  he  squirmed  hard, 
though  he  is  a  good  Christian  man.  He  wuz  afraid  the 
cream  biscuit  would  be  spilte  by  the  delay  ;  they  are 
his  favorites,  and  though  I  am  fur  from  bein'  the  one 
that  ought  to  speak  of  it,  my  biscuit  are  called  deli 
cious. 

And  though  I  hate  to  say  it,  hate  to  show  any  on- 
willingness  to  be  blessed  to 'any  length  by  so  good  a 
man  and  so  smart  a  one — yet  I  must  say  them  bis 
cuit  wuzn't  the  biscuit  they  would  have  been  had 
the  blessin'  been  more  briefer,  and  they  had  been  eat 
earlier. 

Howsomever,  they  wuz  pretty  good  ones  after 
all,  and  Cousin  John  Richard  partook  of  five  right 
along  one  after  the  other,  and  seemed  to  enjoy  the 


10  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

fifth  one  jest  as  well  as  he  did  the  earlier  editions. 
They  wuzn't  very  large,  but  light,  and  tender. 

Wall,  after  supper,  he  and  my  pardner  sot  down 
in  the  settin'-room,  while  I  wuz  a  washin'  up  the 
dishes,  and  a  settin'  the  sponge  for  my  griddle-cakes 
for  breakfast. 

And  I  hearn  'em  a  talkin'  about  Uncle  Noah,  and 
Uncle  Darius,  and  Cousin  Melinda,  and  Sophronia 
Ann,  and  Aunt  Marrier  and  her  children — and  lots 
more  that  I  had  never  hearn  of,  or  had  forgot  if  I  had. 

They  seemed  to  be  a  takin'  solid  comfort,  though 
I  see  that  Cousin  John  Richard  every  time  he  got  a 
chance  would  kinder  preach  on  'em. 

If  there  wuz  a  death  amongst  'em  that  they  talked 
over,  John  Richard  would,  I  see,  instinctively  and 
onbeknown  to  himself  preach  a  little  funeral  sermon 
on  'em,  a  first-rate  one,  too,  though  flowery,  and 
draw  quite  a  lot  of  morals.  Wall,  I  thought  to  my 
self,  they  are  a  takin'  sights  of  comfort  together,  and 
I  am  glad  on  it.  I  dearly  love  to  see  my  pardner 
happy. 

When  all  of  a  sudden,  jest  as  I  had  got  my  sponge 
all  wet  up,  and  everything  slick,  and  I  wuz  a  wash- 
in'  my  hands  to  the  sink,  I  see  there  wuz  a  more 
excited,  voyalent  axent  a  ringin'  out  in  my  pardner's 
voice,  I  see  he  wuz  a  gettin'  het  up  in  some  argu 
ment  or  other,  and  I  hurried  and  changed  my  ging 
ham  bib  apron  for  a  white  one,  and  took  my  knittin' 
work  and  hastened  into  the  room,  bein'  anxious  to 
avert  horstilities,  and  work  for  peace. 

And  I  see  I  wuz  only  jest  in  time  ;  for  my  com 
panion  wuz  a  gettin'  agitated  and  excited  to  a  high 
degree,  and  Cousin  John  Richard  all  rousted  up. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  n 

And  the  very  first  words  I  hearn  after  I  went  in 
wuz  these  offensive  and  quarrelsome  words  that  do 
so  much  to  stir  up  strife  and  dessensions — 

They  have  madded  me  time  and  agin.  They 
proceeded  out  of  my  companion's  mouth,  and  the 
words  wuz  : 

"  Oh  shaw  !" 

I  see  in  a  minute  that  John  Richard  couldn't  brook 
'em.  And  I  wunk  to  Josiah  Allen  to  stop,  and  let 
Cousin  John  Richard  go  on  and  say  what  he  wuz  a 
minter,  both  as  a  visiter,  who  wuz  goin'  to  remain 
with  us  but  a  short  period,  and  also  a  relation,  and 
a  ex-minister. 

My  wink  said  all  of  this,  and  more.  And  my 
companion  wuz  affected  by  it.  But  like  a  child  a 
cryin'  hard  after  bein'  spanked,  he  couldn't  stop 
short  off  all  to  once. 

So  he  went  on,  but  in  fur  mellerer  axents,  and 
more  long  sufferin'er  ones  : 

'  Wall,  I  say  there  is  more  talk  than  there  is  any 
need  of.  I  don't  believe  things  are  to  such  a  pass 
in  the  South.  I  don't  take  much  stock  in  this  Race 
Problem  anyway.  The  Government  whipped  the 
South  and  freed  the  niggers.  And  there  it  is,  all 
finished  and  done  with.  And  everything  seems 
quiet  so  fur  as  I  can  hear  on. 

"  I  hain't  heard  nuthin'  about  any  difficulty  to  speak 
on,  nor  I  don't  believe  Uncle  Nate  Gowdey  has, 
or  Sime  Bently.  And  if  there  wuz  much  of  any 
thing  wrong  goin'  on,  one  of  us  three  would  have 
been  apt  to  have  hearn  on  it. 

"  For  we  are,  some  of  us,  down  to  the  corners  about 
every  night,  and  get  all  the  news  there  is  a  stirrin'. 


12 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 


"  Of  course  there  is  some  fightin'  everywhere. 
Uncle  Nate  hearn  of  a  new  fight  last  night,  over  to 
Loontown.  We  get  holt  of  everything.  And  I 
don't  believe  there  is  any  trouble  down  South,  and 
if  there  is,  they  will  get  along  well  enough  if  they 
are  left  alone,  if  there  hain't  too  much  said." 


UNCLE    NATE  GOWDEY. 


Sez  John  Richard,  "  I  have  lived  in  the  South  for 
years,  and  I  know  what  I  am  talking  about.  And 
I  say  that  you  Northern  people,  and  in  fact  all  the 
nation,  are  like  folks  sitting  on  the  outside  of  a  vol 
cano,  laughing  arid  talking  in  your  gay  indifference, 
and  thinking  the  whole  nation  is  in  safety,  when 
the  flames  and  the  lava  torrents  of  destruction  are 


SAMANTIIA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  13 

liable  to  burst  out  at  any  time  and  overwhelm  this 
land  in  ruin." 

And  then  agin,  though  I  hate  to  set  it  down- 
then  agin  did  my  pardner  give  vent  to  them  dan 
gerous  and  quarrelsome  sentiments  before  I  could 
reach  him  with  a  wink  or  any  other  precautionary 
measures.  That  rash  man  said  agin  : 

"Oh  shaw!" 

And  I  see,  devoted  Christian  as  John  Richard 
wuz,  the  words  gaulded  him  almost  more  than  he 
could  endure,  and  he  broke  out  in  almost  heated 
axents,  and  his  keen  dark  eye  a  flashin',  and  says 
he: 

"  I  tell  you  the  storm  is  brewing  !  I  have  watched 
it  coming  up  and  spreading  over  the  land,  and  unless 
it  is  averted,  destruction  awaits  this  people." 

His  tone  wuz  a  very  preachin'  one,  very,  and  I 
felt  considerable  impressed  by  it ;  but  Josiah  Allen 
spoke  up  pert  as  a  peacock,  and  sez  he  : 

11  Why  don't  the  Southern  folks  behave  themselves, 
then?" 

And  sez  John  Richard  : 

"  Do  you  blame  the  Southern  white  folks  exclu 
sively  ?" 

'Yes,"  sez  Josiah,  in  them  same  pert  axents; 
"  yes,  of  course  I  do." 

4  Then  that  shows  how  short-sighted  you  are, 
how  blind  !" 

11  I  can  see  as  well  as  you  can  !"  sez  Josiah,  all 
wrought  up — "  I  don't  have  to  wear  goggles." 

Oh,  how  mortified,  how  mortified  I  felt !  John 
Richard  did  wear  blue  goggles  when  he  wuz  travel- 
lin'.  But  what  a  breach  of  manners  to  twit  a  visiter 


14  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

of  such  a  thing  !     Twit  'em  of  goggles,  blue  ones 
too  !    I  felt  as  if  I  should  sink. 

But  I  didn't  know  Cousin  John  Richard  Allen. 
He  hadn't  give  up  ease  and  comfort  and  the  joys  of 
a  fireside,  for  principle's  sake,  for  nuthin'.  No  per 
sonal  allusions  could  touch  him.  The  goggles  fell 
onto  him  harmlessly,  and  fell  off  agin.  He  didn't 
notice  'em  no  more'n  if  they  hadn't  been  throwed. 

And  he  went  on  grovvin'  more  and  more  sort  o' 
lifted  up  and  inspired-lookin',  and  a  not  mindin' 
what  or  who  wuz  round  him.  And  sez  he  : 

"  I  tell  you  again  the  storm  is  rising  ;  I  hear  its 
mutterings  in  the  distance,  and  it  is  coming  nearer 
and  nearer  all  the  time." 

Josiah  kinder  craned  his  neck  and  looked  out  of 
the  winder  in  a  sort  of  a  brisk  way.  He  misunder 
stood  him  a  purpose,  and  acted  as  if  John  Richard 
meant  a  common  thunder-storm. 

But  Cousin  John  Richard  never  minded  him,  bein' 
took  up  and  intent  on  what  his  own  mind  wuz  a 
lookin'  at  onbeknown  to  us — 

"  I  have  been  amongst  this  people  night  and  day 
for  years  ;  I  have  been  in  the  mansions  of  the  rich, 
the  ruins  of  the  beautiful  homes  ruined  by  the  war, 
and  in  the  cabins  of  the  poor.  I  have  been  in  their 
schools  and  their  churches,  and  the  halls  where  the 
law  is  misadministered — I  have  been  through  the 
Southern  land  from  one  end  to  the  other — and  I 
know  what  I  am  talking  about. 

"  I  went  there  to  try  to  help  the  freedmen.  I 
knew  these  people  so  lately  enslaved  were  poor  and 
ignorant,  and  I  thought  I  could  help  them. 

"  But  I  was  almost  as  ignorant  as  you  are  of  the 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  1$ 

real  state  of  affairs  in  the  South.  But  I  have  been 
there  and  seen  for  myself,  and  I  tell  you,  and  I  tell 
this  nation,  that  we  are  on  the  eve  of  another  war  if 
something  is  not  done  to  avert  it." 

My  pardner  wuz  jest  a  openin'  his  mouth  in  a  de 
risive  remark,  but  I  hitched  my  chair  along  and  trod 
on  his  foot,  and  onbeknown  to  me  it  wuz  the  foot  on 
which  he  wuz  raisin'  a  large  corn,  and  his  derisive 
remark  wuz  changed  to  a  low  groan,  and  Cousin 
John  Richard  went  on  onhendered. 

"  I  went  South  with  good  motives,  God  knows. 
I  knew  this  newly  enfranchised  race  was  sorely  in 
want  of  knowledge,  Christian  knowledge  most  of  all. 

"  I  thought,  as  so  many  others  do,  that  Christianity 
and  education  would  solve  this  problem.  I  never 
stopped  to  think  that  the  white  race,  of  whose 
cruelty  the  negroes  complained,  had  enjoyed  the 
benefits  of  Christianity  for  hundreds  of  years,  and 
those  whose  minds  were  enriched  by  choicest  cul 
ture  had  hearts  encased  in  bitterest  prejudices,  and 
it  was  from  the  efforts  of  their  avarice  and  selfishness 
that  I  was  trying  to  rescue  the  freedmen.  We  ac 
complished  much,  but  I  expected,  as  so  many  others 
have,  choicer  Christian  fruits  to  spring  from  this 
barren  soil,  that  has  grown  in  the  rich  garden  culti 
vated  for  centuries. 

"  Education  has  done  and  will  do  much — Chris 
tianity  more  ;  but  neither  can  sound  a  soundless  deep, 
nor  turn  black  night  into  day. 

"  But  I  never  thought  of  this.  I  worked  hard 
and  meant  well,  Heaven  knows.  I  thought  at  first 
I  could  do  marvellous  things  ;  later,  when  many 
failures  had  made  me  more  humble,  I  thought  if  I 


1 6  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

could  help  only  one  soul  my  labor  would  not  be  in 
vain.  For  who  knows/'  sez  John  Richard  dreamily, 
"  who  knows  the  tremendous  train  of  influences  one 
sets  in  motion  when  he  is  under  God  enabled  to  turn 
one  life  about  from  the  path  of  destruction  towards 
the  good  and  the  right  ? 

"  Who  knows  but  he  is  helping  to  kindle  a  light 
that  shall  yet  lighten  the  pathway  of  a  Toussaint 
L'Ouverture  or  a  Fred  Douglass  on  to  victory,  and 
a  world  be  helped  by  the  means  ? 

"  And  if  only  one  soul  is  helped,  does  not  the 
Lord  of  the  harvest  say,  '  He  that  turns  one  man 
from  the  error  of  his  ways  has  saved  a  soul  from 
death'?" 

Cousin  John  Richard's  eye  looked  now  as  if  he 
wuz  a  gazin'  deep  into  the  past— the  past  of  eager 
and  earnest  endeavor,  and  way  beyend  it  into  the 
past  that  held  a  happy  home,  and  the  light  from  that 
forsaken  fireside  seemed  to  be  a  shinin'  up  into  his 
face,  divinely  sad,  bitter  sweet,  as  he  went  on  : 

"  I  loved  my  wife  and  children  as  well  as  another 
man,  but  I  left  them  and  my  happy,  happy  home  to 
go  where  duty  called. 

"  My  wife  could  not  endure  that  hot  climate,  and 
she  lay  dying  when  I  was  so  far  South  that  I  could 
not  get  to  her  till  she  had  got  so  far  down  in  the 
Valley  that  she  could  not  hear  my  voice  when  I 
spoke  to  her. ' ' 

Ah  !  the  waves  of  memory  wuz  a  dashin'  hard 
aginst  Cousin  John  Richard  then,  as  we  could  see. 
It  splashed  some  of  the  spray  up  into  his  bright 
eyes. 

But  he  kept  on  :  "I  was  rich  enough  then  to  put 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  17 

my  children  to  school,  which  I  did,   and  then  re 
turned  to  my  labors. 

"  I  loved  my  work — I  felt  for  it  that  enthusiasm  and 
devotion  that  nerves  the  heart  to  endure  any  trials — . 
and  I  don't  speak  of  the  persecutions  I  under 
went  in  that  work  as  being  harder  than  what  many 
others  endured. 

1  You  know  what  they  passed  through  who 
preached  the  higher  truth  in  Jerusalem.  The  Book 
says,  '  They  were  persecuted,  afflicted,  tormented, 
had  cruel  bufferings  and  scourgings,  were  burned, 
were  tortured,  not  accepting  deliverance.' 

"  In  the  early  days  after  the  war,  in  some  parts  oi 
the  South  there  were  hardly  any  indignities  that 
could  be  inflicted  upon  us  that  we  were  not  called 
upon  to  endure.  We  had  our  poor  houses  burned 
down  over  our  heads,  our  Bible  and  spelling-books 
thrown  into  the  flames  ;  we  have  had  rifles  pointed 
at  our  breasts,  and  were  ordered  to  leave  on  peril 
of  death. 

"  And  many,  many  more  than  you  Northerners 
have  any  idea  of  met  their  death  in  the  dark  cypress 
forests  and  in  the  dreary,  sandy  by-ways  of  the 
Southern  States. 

'  They  died,  '  not  accepting  deliverance  '  by  cow- 
ardly  flight.  How  many  of  them  thus  laid  down 
their  lives  for  conscience'  sake  will  never  be  known 
till  that  hour  when  He  comes  to  make  up  His  jewels. 

"  I  bear  the  marks  upon  me  to-day,  and  shall  carry 
them  to  my  grave,  of  the  tortures  inflicted  upon  me 
to  make  me  give  up  my  work  of  trying  to  help  the 
weak  and  seek  and  save  them  that  were  lost." 

"  The  dumb  fools  !"  hollered  out  Josiah.    "  What 


i8 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


did  they  act  so  like  idiots  for — and  villains  ?  The 
Southerners  always  did  act  like  the  Old  Harry  any 
way." 

My  dear  companion  is  fervid  and  impassioned  in 
his  feelin's  and  easily  wrought  on,  and  he  felt  what 


"  THE   DUMB    FOOLS  !" 

he  said.  John  Richard  wuz  a  relation  on  his  own 
side,  and  he  could  not  calmly  brook  the  idee  of  his 
sufferin's. 

But  Cousin  John  didn't  look  mad,  nor  excited, 
nor  anything.  He  had  a  sort  of  a  patient  look  onto 
his  face,  and  as  if  he  had  tried  to  reason  things  out 
for  some  time. 

"  Such  a  state  of  affairs  was  inevitable,"  sez  he. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  19 

"  Then  you  don't  blame  the  cussed  fools,  do 
you?"  yelled  out  Josiah,  fearfully  wrought  up  and 
agitated. 

Oh,  what  a  word  to  use,  and  to  a  minister  too — 
"  cussed"  !  I  felt  as  if  I  should  sink  right  down  into 
the  suller — I  wuz  about  over  the  potato  ben — and  I 
didn't  much  care  if  I  did  sink,  I  felt  so  worked 
up. 

But  Cousin  John  Richard  didn't  seem  to  mind  it 
at  all.  He  had  got  up  into  a  higher  region  than  my 
soul  wuz  a  sailin'  round  in — he  had  got  up  so  high 
that  little  buzzin',  stingin'  insects  that  worried  me 
didn't  touch  him  ;  he  had  got  up  into  a  calm,  pure 
atmosphire  where  they  couldn't  fly  round. 

He  went  on  calm  as  a  full  moon  on  a  clear  night, 
and  sez  he  : 

"  It  is  difficult  to  put  the  blame  for  this  state  of 
affairs  on  any  one  class,  the  evil  is  so  far  spread. 
The  evil  root  was  planted  centuries  ago,  and  we  are 
partaking  of  its  poison  fruit  to-day. 

In  looking  on  such  a  gigantic  wrong  we  must 
look  on  it  on  other  sides  than  the  one  whose  jagged 
edges  have  struck  and  bruised  us — we  must  look  o,n 
it  on  every  side  in  order  to  be  just. 

"  After  years  and  years  of  haughty  supremacy,  am 
bition  and  pride  growing  rankly,  as  they  must  in 
such  a  soil,  fostered,  it  would  seem,  by  Northern  indo 
lence  and  indifference,  the  South  was  conquered  by 
armed  force — brought  down  to  the  humiliation  of 
defeat  by  a  successful,  if  generous  foe. 

"And  then,  what  was  far  harder  for  them  to  endure, 
a  race  of  people  that  they  had  looked  upon  much  as 
you  look  upon  your  herd  of  cattle  was  suddenly 


20  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

raised  from  a  condition  of  servitude  to  one  of  legal 
equality,  and  in  many  cases  of  supremacy. 

"  It  was  hard  for  this  hot-blooded,  misguided, 
warm-hearted  Southern  people  to  lose  at  once  all 
their  brilliant  dreams  of  an  independent,  aristocratic 
Confederacy — it  was  hard  for  them  to  lose  home, 
and  country,  and  wealth,  and  ambition  at  one  blow. 

"  It  was  hard  for  their  proud,  ambitious  leader  to 
have  his  beautiful  old  country  home,  full  of  aristo 
cratic  associations  and  sweet  memories,  turned  into 
the  national  graveyard. 

"  And  this  one  tragedy  that  changed  this  sweet 
home  into  a  mausoleum  is  not  a  bad  illustration  of 
what  the  Southern  people  endured. 

"No  matter  what  brought  this  thing  about — no 
matter  where  the  blame  rested — it  was  hard  for  them 
to  stand  by  the  graves  of  their  loved  ones,  who  fell 
fighting  for  the  lost  cause — to  stand  amongst  the 
ruins  of  their  dismantled  homes,  and  know  that  their 
proud,  ambitious  dreams  were  all  ended. 

"  But  this  they  could  endure — it  was  the  fortune  of 
war,  and  they  had  to  submit.  But  to  this  other  in 
dignity,  as  they  called  it,  they  would  not  submit. 

"  Through  centuries  of  hereditary  influences  and 
teachings  this  belief  was  ingrained,  born  in  them, 
bone  of  their  bone,  flesh  of  their  flesh,  soul  of  their 
soul,  implanted  first  by  nature,  then  hardened  and 
made  invulnerable  by  centuries  of  habits,  beliefs, 
and  influences — this  instinctive,  hereditary  contempt 
and  aversion  for  the  black  race  only  as  servants. 

"  And  they  would  not  endure  to  have  them  made 
their  equals. 

"  Now,  no  preaching,  be  it  with  the  tongue  of  men 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


21 


or  angels,  could  vanquish  this  ingrained,  inexorable 
foe,  this  silent,  overmastering  force  that  rose  up  on 
every  side  to  set  at  naught  our  preaching. 


A    BLACK. 


"  After  twenty-five  years  of  Christian  effort  it  re 
mains  the  same,  and  at  the  end  of  a  century  of  Gos 
pel  work  it  will  still  be  there  just  the  same. 

"  And  those  who  do  not  take  into  consideration 


22  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

this  overwhelming  power  of  antagonism  between 
the  races  when  they  are  considering  the  Southern 
question  are  fools. 

'  The  whites  will  not  look  upon  the  negroes  as 
their  equals,  and  you  cannot  make  them — " 

"Wall,  they  be!"  hollered  out  Josiah.  '*  The 
Proclamation  made  'em  free  and  equal,  jest  as  we 
wuz  made  in  the  War  of  1812." 

14  But  oh,  what  a  difference  !"  sez  Cousin  John 
Richard  sadly. 

'  The  American  colonies  were  the  peers  of  the 
mother  country.  It  was  only  a  quarrel  between 
children  and  mother.  The  same  blood  ran  in  their 
veins,  they  had  the  same  traits,  the  same  minds,  the 
same  looks,  they  were  truly  equal. 

"  But  in  this  case  it  was  an  entirely  different  race, 
necessarily  inferior  by  their  long  years  of  degrada 
tion,  brought  up  at  one  bound  from  the  depths  of 
ignorance  and  servitude  to  take  at  once  the  full 
rights  awarded  to  intellect  and  character. 

;<  It  was  a  great  blunder  ;  it  was  a  sad  thing  for 
the  white  race  and  for  the  black  race  !" 

Josiah  wuz  jest  a  openin'  his  mouth  to  speak  in 
reply  to  Cousin  John  Richard's  last  words,  when  all 
of  a  sudden  we  heard  a  knock  at  the  door,  and  I 
went  and  opened  it,  and  there  stood  Miss  Eben  Gar- 
lock,  and  I  asked  her  to  come  in,  and  sot  her  a  chair. 

I  never  over  and  above  liked  Miss  Eben  Garlock, 
though  she  is-  a  likely  woman  enough  so  fur  as  I 
know. 

But  she  is  one  of  the  kind  of  wimmen  who  orni- 
ment  the  outside  of  their  heads  more  than  the  inside, 
and  so  on  with  their  hearts  and  souls,  etc. 


SAM  AN  Til  A    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  23 

She  is  a  great  case  for  artificial  flowers,  and  rib- 
bin  loops,  and  fringes.  And  the  flowers  that  wuz 
a  blowin'  out  on  her  bunnet  that  day  would  have 
gone  a  good  ways  towards  fillin'  a  half-bushel  basket. 
And  the  loops  that  wuz  a  hangin'  all  round  her  bod- 
Jist  waist  would  have  straightened  out  into  half  a 
mile  of  ribbin,  I  do  believe. 

The  ribbin  wuz  kinder  rusty,  and  she  had  pinned 
on  a  bunch  of  faded  red  poppies  on  to  the  left  side 
of  her  boddist  waist,  pretty  nigh,  I  should  judge, 
over  her  heart. 

Which  goes  to  prove  what  I  said  about  her  trim- 
min'  off  the  outside  of  her  heart  and  soul. 

Her  clothes  are  always  of  pretty  cheap  material, 
but  showy,  and  made  after  sort  o'  foamin'  patterns, 
with  streamers,  and  her  favorite  loops  and  such. 
And  they  always  have  a  look  as  if  they  wuz  in  dan 
ger  of  fallin'  off  of  her.  She  uses  pins  a  good  deal, 
and  they  drop  out  considerable  and  leave  gaps. 

Wall,  I  always  use  her  well ;  so,  as  I  say,  I  sot  her 
a  chair  and  introduced  her  to  Cousin  John  Richard, 
and  he  bowed  polite  to  her,  and  then  leaned  back  in 
his  chair  and  seemed  restin'.  Good  land  !  I  should 
thought  he'd  wanted  to. 

Miss  Garlock  seemed  real  agitated  and  excited, 
and  I  remembered  hearin'  that  forenoon  that  they 
had  lost  a  relation  considerable  distant  to  'em.  He 
lived  some  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles  away. 

He  and  Eben  Garlock's  folks  had  never  agreed  ; 
in  fact,  they  had  hated  each  other  the  worst  kind. 
But  now  Miss  Garlock,  bein'  made  as  she  wuz,  wuz 
all  nerved  up  to  make  a  good  appearance  to  the 
funeral  and  show  off. 


24  SAM  A  NTH  A    OAT    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

She  had  come  to  borry  my  mournirT  suit  that  I 
had  used  to  mourn  for  Josiah's  mother  in  ;  and  I 
am  that  careful  of  my  clothes  that  they  wuz  as  good 
as  new,  though  I  had  mourned  in  'em  for  a  year. 
Mournin'  for  some  folks  hain't  half  so  hard  on 
clothes  as  mournin'  for  others  ;  tears  spots  black 
crape  awful,  and  sithes  are  dretful  hard  on  whale 
bones  ;  my  clothes  wuz  good,  good  as  new. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin',  and  to  resoom. 

Miss  Garlock  wanted  to  borry  my  hull  suit  down 
to  shoes  and  stockin's  for  Eben's  mother,  who  lived 
with  her.  She  herself  wuz  a  goin'  to  borry  Miss 
Slimpsey's  dress— she  that  wuz  Betsey  Bobbets — it 
wuz  trimmed  more  and  more  foamin'  lookin'.  But 
she  wanted  my  black  fan  for  herself,  and  my  mourn- 
in'  handkerchief  pin,  it  bein'  a  very  showy  one.  Ury 
had  gin  it  to  me,  and  I  never  had  mourned  in  it 
but  once,  and  then  not  over  two  hours,  at  a  church 
social,  for  I  felt  it  wuz  too  dressy  for  me.  But 
Miss  Garlock  had  seen  it  on  that  occasion  and  ad 
mired  it. 

And  then,  after  I  had  told  her  she  could  have  all 
these  things  in  welcome,  she  kinder  took  me  out  to 
one  side  and  asked  me  "if  I  had  jest  as  lives  lend 
her  a  Bible  for  a  few  days.  She  thought  like  as  not 
the  minister  would  call  to  talk  with  Eben's  mother, 
and  she  felt  that  she  should  be  mortified  if  he  should 
call  for  a  Bible,  for  they  had  all  run  out  of  Bibles," 
she  said. 

"  The  last  one  they  had  by  'em  had  jest  been  chawed 
up  by  a  pup  Eben  wuz  a  raisin*  ;  she  had  ketched 
him  a  worryin'  it  out  under  the  back  stoop.  She 
said  he  had  chawed  it  all  up  but  a  part  o'  the  Old 


SA  MA  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  25 

Testament,   and    he    wuz   a    worryin'    and   gnawin' 
Maleky  when  she  got  it  away  from  him." 

Wall,  I  told  her  she  could  have  the  Bible,  and  she 
asked  me  to  have  the  things  done  up  by  the  time 
they  got  back  from  Miss  Slimpsey's,  and  I  told  her 
I  would,  and  I  did. 

Wall,  if  you'd  believe  it,  I  had  hardly  got  them 
things  done  up  in  a  bundle  and  laid  'em  on  the  table 
ready  for  Miss  Garlock,  when  that  blessed  man, 
John  Richard,  commenced  agin  right  where  he  left 
off,  and  sez  he,  a  repeatin'  his  last  words  as  calmly 
as  if  there  had  been  no  Garlock  eppisode 

"  It  was  a  great  blunder,  a  sad  thing  for  the  white 
race  and  the  black  race." 

'  Wall,  what  would  you  have  done  ?"  sez  Josiah. 

"  I  don't  know,"  sez  Cousin  John  sadly — "  1  don't 
know  ;  perhaps  mistakes  were  inevitable.  The 
question  was  so  great  and  momentous,  and  the  dan 
ger  and  the  difficulties  seemed  so  impenetrable  on 
every  side." 

"  Lincoln  did  the  best  he  could,"  sez  Josiah 
sturdily  ;  "  and  I  know  it." 

"And  so  do  I  know  it,"  sez  Cousin  John. 
4  That  wise,  great  heart  could  not  make  any  other 
mistake  only  a  mistake  of  judgment,  and  he  was  sorely 
tried  to  know  what  was  best  to  do.  The  burden 
weighed  down  upon  him  so,  T  fancy  he  was  glad  to 
lay  it  down  in  any  way. 

'  The  times  were  so  dark  that  any  measure  adopt 
ed  for  safety  was  only  groping  towards  the   light, 
only  catching  at  the  first  rope  of  safety  that  seemed 
to  lower  itself  through  the  heavy  clouds  of  war. 
'  The    heavy    eyes    and    true    hearts    watching 


26  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

through  those  black  hours  will  never  be  forgotten 
by  this  republic. 

"  And  now,  in  looking  back  and  criticising  the 
errors  of  that  time,  it  is  like  the  talk  of  those  who  are 
watching  a  storm  at  sea,  when,  in  order  to  save  the 
ship,  wrong  ropes  may  be  seized,  and  life-boats  cast 
out  into  the  stormy  waves  may  be  swept  down  and 
lost.  But  if  the  ship  is  saved,  let  the  survivors  of 
the  crew  forever  bless  and  praise  the  brave  hands 
and  hearts  that  dared  the  storm  and  the  peril. 

"But  when  the  sky  is  clearer  you  can  see  more 
plainly  than  when  the  tempest  is  whirling  about 
you  and  death  and  ruin  are  riding  on  the  gale. 

'  You  can  see  plainer  and  you  can  see  farther. 

"  Now,  it  was  a  great  and  charitable  idea,  looking 
at  it  from  one  side,  to  let  those  who  had  tried  their 
best  to  ruin  the  Union  at  once  take  an  equal  place 
with  those  who  had  perilled  life  and  property  to  save 
it — to  give  them  at  once  the  same  rights  in  making 
the  laws  they  had  set  at  defiance. 

"  It  was  a  generous  and  charitable  idea,  looking 
on  it  from  one  side,  but  from  another  side  it  looked 
risky,  very  risky,  and  it  looked  dangerous  to  the 
further  peace  and  perpetuity  of  that  Union. 

"  A  little  delay  might  not  have  done  any  harm — a 
little  delay  in  giving  them  the  full  rights  of  citizen 
ship. 

"  And  it  might,  Heaven  knows,  have  been  as  well 
if  the  slaves  had  had  a  gradual  bringing  up  of  mind 
and  character  to  meet  the  needs  of  legal  responsi 
bility,  if  they  had  not  been  at  once  invested  with  all 
the  rights  and  responsibilities  which  well- trained 
Christian  scholars  find  it  so  difficult  to  assume,  if 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  27 

they  had  not  been  required  to  solve  by  the  ballot 
deep  questions  of  statesmanship,  the  names  of  which 
they  could  not  spell  out  in  the  newspaper. 

"  Could  such  ignorance  make  them  otherwise  than 
a  dangerous  element  in  politics,  dangerous  to  them 
selves  and  dangerous  to  the  welfare  of  the  "Union  ? 

"  Tossed  back  and  forth  as  they  were  between 
two  conflicting  parties,  in  their  helplessness  and 
ignorance  becoming  the  prey  of  the  strongest  fac 
tion,  compelled,  at  the  point  of  the  sword  and  the 
muzzle  of  the  revolver,  to  vote  as  the  white  man 
made  them — the  law  of  Might  victorious  over  the 
Right — it  was  a  terrible  thing  for  the  victim,  and  a 
still  worse  one  for  the  victor. 

' '  What  could  happen  in  such  a  state  of  affairs  only 
trouble  and  misery,  evasions  and  perversions  of  the 
law,  uprisings  of  the  oppressed,  secret  bands  of 
armed  men  intent  on  deeds  of  violence,  whose  only 
motives  were  to  set  at  naught  the  law,  to  fight 
secretly  against  the  power  they  had  been  openly 
forced  to  yield  to. 

'  What  could  happen  save  warfare,  bloodshed, 
burning  discontent,  and  secret  nursing  of  wrongs 
amongst  the  blacks ;  hatred  towards  the  .Union 
amongst  the  whites,  towards  the  successful  foe  who 
had  humiliated  them  so  beyond  endurance  by  this  last 
blow  of  forcing  them  into  a  position  of  equality 
towards  their  former  slaves,  and  rousing  up  in  them 
a  more  bitter  animosity  towards  the  poor  blacks  who 
had  been  the  innocent  cause  of  their  humiliation." 
'  Wall,  what  could  have  been  done  ?"  sez  Josiah. 

"  It  is  hard  to  tell,"  sez  John  Richard.  "It  is  a 
hard  problem  to  solve  ;  and  perhaps,"  sez  Cousin 


28  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

John,  lookin'   some  distance  off — "  perhaps  it  was 
God's  own  way  of  dealing  with  this  people. 

'  You  know,  after  the  children  of  Israel  had 
broken  the  chains  of  their  bondage  and  passed 
through  the  Red  Sea,  they  were  encamped  in  the 
wilderness  for  forty  years  before  they  reached  the 
Land  of  Promise. 

"  Maybe  it  is  God's  way  of  dealing  with  this 
people,  to  make  them  willing  to  press  forward 
through  the  wilderness  of  their  almost  unendurable 
trials  and  go  forward  into  their  own  country,  from 
whence  their  fathers  were  stolen  by  these  pale  faces, 
and  there,  in  that  free,  fresh  land  to  found  a  new  re 
public  of  their  own. 

"  And  with  all  the  education  and  civilization  they 
have  gathered  during  these  long,  miserable  years  of 
slavery,  helped  by  all  they  have  learned,  taught  by 
their  losses  as  well  as  their  gains,  found  a  new  re 
public  that  shall  yet  take  its  place  as  one  of  the  great 
nations  of  the  world — yes,  perhaps  lead  the  nations, 
and  reveal  God's  glory  in  higher,  grander  forms 
than  colder-blooded  races  have  ever  dreamed  of. 
For  it  has  seemed  as  if  this  people  have  been  pecul 
iarly  under  His  protection  and  care. 

"  All  through  this  long,  bloody  War  of  the  Rebel 
lion,  when  it  would  seem  as  if  the  black  race  must 
be  crushed  between  either  the  upper  or  lower  mill 
stone  of  raging  sectional  warfare,  they  simply,  as  if 
bidden  by  a  higher  power  than  was  seen  marching 
with  the  armies,  '  stood  still  and  saw  the  salvation 
of  the  Lord.'  " 

'  Where  would  you  have  'em  set  up  for  them 
selves  ?"  sez  Josiah,  a  lookin'  some  sleepy,  but  hold- 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  29 

in',  as  it  were,  his  eyes  open  with  a  effort.      '  Would 
you  have  'em  go  to  Mexico,  or  Brazil,  or  where  ?" 

"  To  Africa,"  sez  Cousin  John  Richard,  "  or  that 
is  what  is  in  my  own  mind.  I  don't  know  that  it 
would  be  better  than  another  place,  but  I  think  so." 

"  But,  good  land  !"  sez  Josiah,  lookin'  more  wake 
ful,  "think  of  the  cost.  Why,  it  would  run  the 
Government  in  debt  to  that  extent  that  it  never 
would  get  over  it."  He  looked  skairt  at  the  idee. 
But  Cousin  John  didn't  ;  he  wuz  calm  and  serene  as 
he  went  on  : 

'  Thousands  and  thousands  would  be  able  and 
willing  to  go  on  their  own  account.  But  if  this  na 
tion  took  them  all  back  at  its  own  expense,  is  it  not 
a  lawful  debt  ?  Who  brought  them  here  in  the  first 
place  ?  They  did  not  come  of  their  own  accord  ;  no, 
they  were  stolen,  hunted  like  beasts  of  prey  amongst 
their  own  fields  and  forests,  felled  like  wild  animals, 
and  dragged,  bleeding  from  their  wounds,  into  slave 
ships  to  be  packed  into  a  living  cargo  of  sweltering 
agony,  and  brought  off  from  friends  and  home  and 
native  land  for  our  selfishness*  sake,  to  add  to  our 
wealth. 

"  It  seems  to  me  we  owe  them  a  debt  that  we 
should  pay  for  our  own  conscience*  sake  as  a  na 
tion." 

"  But  the  Government  couldn't  afford  it  ;  it  would 
cost  too  much."  Josiah  is  very  close. 

"  As  I  said,"  sez  Cousin  John  Richard,  "thou 
sands  of  the  more  intelligent  ones  who  have  prop 
erty  of  their  own  would  go  at  their  own  expense  for 
the  sake  of  founding  free,  peaceful  homes,  where 
their  children  could  have  the  advantages  of  inde- 


"THE  OLD  AND  FEEBLE  ONES. 


&AMANTHA    ON   THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  31 

pendence,  freed  from  the  baleful  effects  of  class  an 
tagonism  and  race  prejudices. 

"  Many  of  the  old  and  feeble  ones,  and  those  who 
were  prosperous  and  well  off,  would  not  go  at  all. 
And  of  those  who  remained,  if  the  Government 
should  transport  them  and  support  them  there  for  a 
year  it  would  not  cost  a  twentieth  part  so  much  as 
to  carry  on  a  civil  war. 

"  And  I  tell  you  war  will  come,  Josiah  Allen,  if 
something  is  not  done  to  avert  the  storm." 

And  agin  John  Richard's  eyes  took  on  that  fur-off 
look,  as  if  he  wuz  lookin'  at  things  dretful  some  dis 
tance  off. 

"  Amongst  the  lower  classes  you  can  hear  muttered 
curses  and  half-veiled  threats,  and  you  feel  their 
passion  and  their  burning  hatred  towards  the  race 
that  gave  them  the  Indian  gift  of  freedom— gave  it, 
and  then  snatched  it  out  of  their  hands,  and  instead 
of  liberty  gave  them  injustice  and  worse  oppression. 

"  And  the  storm  is  coming  up.  Evil  spirits  are  in 
the  atmosphere.  Over  the  better  feelings  of  the 
white  race,  dominating  them,  are  the  black  shapes 
of  contempt  and  repulsion  towards  the  race  once  their 
servants,  made  their  equals  by  a  wordy  fiction  of 
their  enemies,  but  still  under  their  feet. 

"  And  in  their  haughty  breasts,  as  of  old,  only 
stronger,  is  the  determination  to  have  their  own 
way,  to  rule  this  'ignorant  rabble,'  to  circumvent 
the  cowardly  will  of  their  Northern  foe,  who  had 
brought  this  thing  to  pass,  to  still  rule  them  in  one 
way  if  not  in  another — rule  or  ruin. 

"  And  the  storm  is  coming  up  the  heavens.  The 
lightning  is  being  stored,  and  the  tempest  of  hail, 


32  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

the  burning  lightning,  and  deafening  thunder  peals 
are  awaiting  this  day  of  wrath  when  the  storm  shall 
burst. 

"  And  you  sit  on  in  your  ease  and  will  not  be 
lieve  it." 

His  eyes  wuz  bent  on  my  pardner's  form,  who 
wuz  leanin'  back  in  a  almost  luxurious  attitude  in  his 
soft  copper-plate-covered  rockin'  chair,  but  I  see  he 
didn't  mean  him  in  particeler  ;  no,  his  eyes  had  in 
'em  a  wide,  deep  look  that  took  in  the  hull  country, 
North  and  South,  and  he  went  on  in  almost  eloquent 
axents  : 

'  The  Northern  soldier  who  twenty-five  years  ago 
hung  up  his  old  rifle  and  powder-horn  with  a  sigh  of 
content  that  the  war  against  oppression  and  slavery 
had  been  won  still  sits  under  them  in  content  and 
self-admiration  of  his  prowess,  and  heeds  not  at  all 
the  signs  in  the  heavens. 

"  And  the  wise  men  in  the  National  Capital  sit 
peacefully  in  their  high  places  and  read  over  com 
placently  the  words  they  wrote  down  a  quarter  of  a 
century  ago  : 

"  '  All  slaves  are  free.' 

"  And  the  bandage  that  Justice  wears,  having 
slipped  too  far  down  over  their  wise  eyes,  they  have 
not  seen  the  handcuffs  and  chains  that  have  weighed 
down  the  still  enslaved. 

"  And  they  read  these  words  : 
1  We  proclaim  peace  in  all  your  borders.' 

"  And  lost  in  triumphant  thoughts  of  what  they 
had  done,  they  did  not  heed  this  truth,  that  instead 
of  peace  hovering  down  upon  the  borders  of  the  fair 
Southern  land,  they  had  blindly  and  ignorantly,  no 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  33 

doubt,  let  loose  the  bitter,  corroding,  wearing-  curse 
of  animosity  and  ignorant  misrule. 

"  Yes,  those  wise  men  had  launched  these  turbu 
lent  spirits  instead  of  peace  on  the  heads  of  the  free 
and  enlightened,  if  bigoted  white  people  of  the 
South,  and  upon  the  black  race. 

"  And  never  stopped  to  think,  so  it  would  seem, 
whether  three  millions  strong  of  an  ignorant,  su 
perstitious,  long-degraded  people,  the  majority  of 
whom  could  not  read  nor  write,  and  were  ignorant 
of  the  first  principles  of  truth  and  justice,  could  sud 
denly  be  lifted  up  to  become  the  peers,  and  in  many 
cases  the  superiors,  of  a  cultured  and  refined  people 
who  had  had  long  ages  of  culture  and  education  be 
hind  them,  and,  above  all,  class  prejudices. 

"  They  never  paused  to  ask  themselves  whether  it 
was  in  reality  just  to  the  white  race,  or  whether 
this  superior  class  would  quietly  submit  to  the  legal 
equality  and  rule  of  the  inferior. 

'  The  difficulty  of  this  problem  did  not  seem  to 
strike  them,  whether  by  any  miracle  the  white  race 
would  at  once  forget  its  pride  and  its  prejudices. 

"  Whether  by  a  legal  enactment  a  peacock  could 

be  made  to  change  its  plumage  for  the  sober  habit 

of  a  dove,  or  an  eagle  develop  the  humility  of  a  snail. 

'  The  wise  men  expected  to  do  more  than  this,  and 

failed. 

"  And  they  never  seemed  to  ponder  this  side  of 
the  question  :  Whether  it  was  not  cruelty  to  the 
weaker  class  to  thus  raise  up  to  a  greater  strength 
the  prejudice  and  animosity  of  the  dominant  race. 

"  And  whether  this  premature  responsibility  they 
had  caused  them  to  assume  was  not  as  cruel  as  to 


34 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 


put  knives  and  rifles  into  the  hands  of  babies,  and 
send  them  out  to  fight  a  battle  with  giants — fight  or 
die. 

"  And  so  these  wise  men,  having  done  their  best, 


"  I   SOT   DEMUTE." 


it  would  seem,  to  rouse  the  blind  passions  and  in 
tensify  the  ignorant  prejudice  and  class  hatred  of 
the  blacks,  sit  at  their  ease. 

"  And  so  the  farce  has  been  played  out  before  a 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  35 

pitying  heaven,  and  has  been  for  a  quarter  of  a  cen 
tury,  growing  more  pitiful  to  look  at  year  by  year. 

"  The  farce  of  slave  and  tyrant  masquerading  in 
the  robes  of  liberty  and  equality,  and  the  poor 
Northern  zealot  playing  well  his  part  with  a  fool's 
cap  and  bells.  The  weak  crushed  and  trodden  under 
foot,  the  strong  shot  down  by  secret  violence — mur 
der,  rapine,  and  misrule  taking  the  part  of  law,  and 
both  races  swept  along  to  their  ruin  like  a  vision  of 
the  night." 

Why,  John  Richard's  talk  wuz  such,  he  looked  on 
things  so  different  from  what  I  ever  had,  he  put  such 
new  and  strange  idees  into  my  head  that  I  can  truly 
say  that  he  skairt  me  most  to  death.  I  sot  demute  ; 
I  didn't  even  think  to  look  to  see  how  my  pardner 
wuz  affected  by  the  startlin'  views  he  wuz  promul- 
gatin'.  I  dropped  stitches,  I  seamed  where  I  hadn't 
ought  to  seam  ;  I  wuz  extremely  nerved  up  and  agi 
tated,  and  he  went  on  a  talkin'  more  stranger  and 
startlinger  than  ever,  if  possible. 

"  And  still  these  wise  men  sit  and  hardly  lift  their 
wise  eyes.  But  when  the  storm  bursts,"  sez  Cousin 
John  Richard,  in  a  louder  voice  than  he  had  used, 
and  more  threatenin'  like  and  prophetic—"  when  the 
storm  bursts,  methinks  these  wise  men  will  look  up, 
will  get  up  if  there  is  enough  left  of  them  to  stand 
after  the  shock  and  the  violence  of  the  tempest  has 
torn  and  dashed  over  them.  For  the  clouds  will  fill 
with  vengeance,  the  storm  will  burst  if  something  is 
not  done  soon  to  avert  the  fury  of  its  course. 

"  Now,  this  nation  can  solve  this  great  question 
peacefully  if  it  will." 

And  I  sez  in  agitated  axents  : 


36  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"How?" 

I  wuz  fearful  wrought  up.  1  never  had  mistrust 
ed  there  wuz  such  a  state  of  things  anywhere  ;  it 
come  all  onbeknown  onto  me,  and  sort  o'  paralyzed 
my  faculties.  I  had  forgot  by  this  time,  if  you'll 
believe  it,  whether  I  wuz  a  knittin'  or  a  tattin'. 
Why,  I  shouldn't  have  been  surprised  if  somebody 
had  spoke  up  and  said  I  wuz  a  shearin'  a  sheep  or 
pickin'  a  goose.  I  shouldn't  have  sensed  it,  as  I 
know  of,  I  wuz  so  dumbfoundered  and  lost  and  by 
the  side  of  myself.  . 

SezI,  "How?" 

And  sez  he,  "  Let  the  colored  race  go  into  a  home 
and  a  country  of  their  own.  Let  them  leave  the 
people  and  the  influences  that  paralyze  and  hinder 
their  best  efforts.  Let  them  leave  a  race  that  they 
burden  and  hamper  and  oppress,  for  injustice  reacts 
worse  upon  the  victor  than  upon  the  victim.  The 
two  races  cannot  live  together  harmoniously  ;  they 
have  tried  the  experiment  for  hundreds  of  years,  and 
failed." 

I  murmured  almost  mechanically  : 

"  Won't  religion  and  education  make  'em  har- 
moniouser?" 

But  before  John  Richard  could  answer  my  ques 
tion,  Eben  Garlock  come  in  for  the  mourriin'  bundle, 
and  I  gin  it  to  him. 

He  said  he  couldn't  set  down,  but  still  he  didn't 
seem  ready  to  go 

Everybody  has  such  visitors  that  don't  want  to 
go  and  don't  want  to  stay,  and  you  have  to  use 
head  work  to  get  'em  started  either  way. 

Eben  is  different  from  his  wife  ;  he  is  more  sincere 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  37 

and  open-hearted,  and  hain't  so  affected.  He  speaks 
out  more  than  she  duz,  and  finally  he  told  us  what 
wuz  on  his  mind. 

I  see  he  had  on  a  good  new  black  overcoat,  and 
the  case  wuz  he  wanted  to  swop  with  Josiah  for  the 
day  of  the  funeral,  and  take  his  old  London  brown 
overcoat. 

And  I  sez,  "  For  the  land's  sake  !     Why  ?' 

'  Wall,"  sez  he,  a  lookin'  real  candid  and  sincere 
as  he  said  it,  "  the  fact  is,  you  know  the  corpse  and 
I  never  agreed  with  each  other,  and  everybody 
knows  it  ;  and  I  don't  want  to  act  as  if  I  wuz  a 
mournin'  too  much.  I  hate  deceit,"  sez  he. 

"  Wall,"  sez  I,  "if  that  is  how  you  feel  you  can 
take  the  coat  in  welcome." 

And  Josiah  sez,  "  Yes,  of  course  you  can  have  it." 

And  Eben  took  off  his  glossy  new  black  overcoat 
and  put  on  Josiah's  old  shabby  brown  one  and  sot 
off.  And  I  don't  know  how  he  and  his  wife  settled 
it,  and  I  don't  much  care. 

Wall,  if  you'll  believe  it,  Eben  hadn't  much  more'n 
got  into  his  buggy  at  the  gate  when  Cousin  John 
Richard  began  agin,  took  up  his  remarks  jest  where 
he  had  laid  'em  down.  I  don't  spoze  he  sensed  Eben's 
comin'  in  hardly  any. 

I  spoze  it  wuz  some  as  if  a  fly  should  light  on  the 
nose  of  a  Fourth  of  July  oritor,  it  would  be  brushed 
off  without  noticin'  it,  and  the  oration  would  go 
right  on. 

Sez  John  Richard,  "  All  the  religion  and  educa 
tion  in  the  world  cannot  make  the  two  races  unite 
harmoniously  and  become  one  people,  with  kindred 
tastes  and  united  hearts  and  interests." 


38  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Sez  I  agin,  speakin'  mechanically,  "  You  think  the 
foot  is  too  big  for  the  shoe  ?" 

"  Yes,  exactly,"  sez  he.  "  The  shoe  is  a  good 
sound  one,  but  the  foot  is  too  big  ;  it  won't  go 
into  it." 

' '  But, "  sez  I, ' '  as  Josiah  remarked  to  you,  wouldn't 
it  cost  awfully  ?' ' 

"  Will  it  cost  any  less  ten  years  from  now  ?  The 
colored  population  of  the  South  increases  at  the  rate 
of  five  hundred  every  twenty-four  hours. 

"  By  the  most  careful  estimates  it  has  been  found 
that  in  less  than  twenty  years  the  black  race  will  out 
number  the  whites  to  the  number  of  a  million. 
What  will  be  done  then  ?  Will  the  white  man  leave 
this  country  to  make  room  for  the  negro  ?  It  is  plain 
that  there  will  not  be  room  for  both." 

And  I  murmured  almost  entirely  onbeknown  to 
myself,  "  No,  I  don't  spoze  he  would." 

"  No,  indeed,"  sez  Cousin  John  Richard.  "  The 
Anglo-Saxon  will  not  leave  this  country,  his  in 
heritance,  for  the  sake  of  peace  or  to  make  room 
for  another  race;  then  what  will  be  done?  I  hear 
the  voice  of  the  Lord,"  sez  John  Richard  solemnly, 
"  I  hear  His  voice  saying,  '  Let  my  people  go.'  ' 
The  silence  seemed  solemn  ;  it  seemed  some  like  the 
pauses  that  come  in  a  protracted  meetin'  between 
two  powerful  speakers.  I  felt  queer. 

But  I  did  speak  up  almost  entirely  onbeknown  to 
myself,  and  sez  I,  "  Could  they  take  care  of 
themselves  in  a  colony  of  their  own  ?  Do  they 
know  enough  ?" 

Sez  John  Richard,  "A  race  that  has  accumulated 
property  to  the  extent  of  six  millions  of  dollars  in 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  39 

one  Southern  State  since  the  war,  under  all  the 
well-nigh  unendurable  drawbacks  and  persecutions 
that  have  beset  it,  will  be  able,  I  believe,  to  at  least 
do  as  much,  when  these  hampering  and  oppressive 
influences  are  withdrawn  and  the  colored  man  has  a 
clear  field,  in  an  atmosphere  of  strength  and  courage 
and  encouragement— where  in  this  air  of  liberty  he 
can  enjoy  the  rewards  of  his  labor  and  behold  the 
upbuilding  of  his  race. 

"  And  what  a  band  of  missionaries  and  teachers 
will  go  out  from  this  new  republic,  upon  every  side 
of  them,  in  darkest  Africa,  to  preach  the  peaceful 
doctrine  of  the  cross  ! 

"  In  these  same  dark  forests,  where  their  ances 
tors  were  hewn  down  and  shot  down  like  so  many 
wild  beasts,  and  dragged,  maimed  and  bleeding,  to 
become  burden  bearers  and  chained  slaves  to  an 
alien  race — 

"  Under  the  same  dim  shadows  of  these  lofty 
trees  will  these  men  stand  and  reveal  to  the  igno 
rant  tribes  the  knowledge  they  learned  in  the  tortur 
ing  school  of  slavery. 

'  The  dark  baptism  wherewith  they  were  baptized 
will  set  them  apart  and  fit  them  for  this  great  work. 
They  will  speak  with  the  fellowship  of  suffering 
which  touches  hearts  and  enkindles  holy  flames. 

'  Their  teachings  will  have  the  supreme  consecra 
tion  of  agony  and  martyrdom.  They  will  speak 
with  the  pathos  of  grief,  the  earnestness  and  knowl 
edge  born  through  suffering  and  '  the  constant 
anguish  of  patience.' 

"  It  is  such  agencies 'as  these  that  God  has  always 
blessed  to  the  upbuilding  of  His  kingdom.  And 


4° 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 


will  not  the  dwarfed  natures  about  them  gradually 
be  transformed  by  the  teachings  of  these  apostles 
into  a  civilized,  God-fearing  people  ? 

"  Methinks  the  dark  faces  of  these  apostles  will 
shine  with  the  glowing  image  of  God's  love  and 
providence — the  providence  that  watched  over 


"  THE  DARK   FACES    OF  THESE    APOSTLES." 

them  and  kept  them  in  a  strange  land,  and  then 
brought  them  back  in  safety,  fitted  to  tell  the  story 
of  God's  love  and  power,  and  His  mercy  that  had 
redeemed  them  and  made  them  free. 

"  And  when  the  lowest  and  most  unknowing  one 
shall   ask,  '  Who    are    these  ?'  methinks  the  answer 


SAM  AN  TH A    OX   THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  4* 

will  be  as  it  was  to  St.  John  :  '  These  are  they  who 
come  out  of  great  tribulations/  ' 

I  wuz  demute,  and  didn't  say  nuthin',  and  John 
Richard  sez,  in  a  deep  axent  and  a  earnest  one, 
"  But  will  this  Government  be  warned  by  past 
judgments  and  past  experience  and  be  wise  in  time  ? 

"  I  don't  know,"  sez  he,  a  answerin'  himself ;  for 
truly  I  didn't  know  what  to  say  nor  how  to  say  it. 

"  You  spoke  just  now  of  the  expense.  It  will  cost 
less  now  to  avert  an  evil  than  it  will  cost  for  its  over 
throw,  when  time,  and  national  follies,  and  men's 
bad  passions,  and  inevitable  causes  have  matured  it, 
and  the  red  cloud  has  burst  in  its  livid  fury  over  a 
doomed  land.  But  time  will  tell. 

"  But  while  delays  go  on,  the  mills  of  the  gods 
are  grinding  on  ;  time  nor  tide  cannot  stop  them. 
And  if  this  nation  sits  down  at  its  ease  for  a  decade 
longer,  woe  to  this  republic  !" 

I  wuz  so  thrilled,  and  skairt,  and  enthused  by 
Cousin  John  Richard's  eloquence  and  strange  and 
fiery  words  and  flowery  language  that  when  I  sort 
o'  come  to  myself  I  looked  up,  a  expectin'  to  see 
Josiah  bathed  in  tears,  for  he  weeps  easy. 

But  even  as  I  looked,  I  heard  a  low,  peaceful 
snore.  And  I  see  that  Josiah  Allen  had  so  fur  for 
got  good  manners  and  what  wuz  due  to  high  princi 
ples  and  horspitality  as  to  set  there  fast  asleep. 
Yes,  sleepin'  as  sweet  as  a  babe  in  its  mother's  arms. 

I  looked  mortified,  I  know. 

But  Cousin  John  Richard  took  it  all  historically — 
nuthin'  personal  could  touch  him,  so  it  seemed. 

And  sez  he  to  me.  "  There  is  a  fair  instance  of 
what  I  have  told  you,  cousin — a  plain  illustration 


42  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

of  the  indifference  and  unbelief  of  the  North  as  to 
the  state  of  affairs  in  the  Southern  States." 

"  Wall,"  sez  I,  "  Josiah  has  been  broke  of  his  rest 
some  durin'  the  year  with  newraligy,  and  you  must 
overlook  it  in  him/' 

And,  wantin'  to  change  the  subject,  I  asked  him 
if  he  wouldn't  like  a  glass  of  new  milk  before  retirin' 
and  goin'  to  bed. 

And  he  said  he  would  ;  and  I  brung  it  in  to  him 
with  a  little  plate  of  crackers  on  a  tray.  And  as  I 
come  by  Josiah  Allen  I  made  calculation  ahead  to 
hit  him  axidentally  on  his  bald  head  with  my  el 
bow. 

And  he  started  up,  with  his  face  nearly  covered 
with  smiles  and  mortification,  and  sez  he  : 

4  That  last  remark  of  yours,  Cousin  John  Rich 
ard,  wuz  very  convincin'  and  eloquent." 

The  remark  wuz,  "  I  like  new  milk  very  much." 

But  I  wouldn't  throw  that  milk  into  his  face. 
And  Cousin  John  received  the  milk  and  the  remark 
with  composure. 

And  I  kep*  them  two  men  down  on  to  relations, 
and  sheep,  and  such  like  subjects  till  I  got  'em  off  to 
bed. 

I  give  John  Richard  a  good  dose  of  spignut  syrup, 
for  he  complained  of  a  sore  throat,  and  he  wuz 
hoarse  as  a  frog.  Good  land  !  I  should  have 
thought  he  would  be,  talkin'  as  much  as  he  had, 
and  eloquent  too. 

Eloquence  is  dretful  tuckerin'  ;  I  know  well  its 
effects  on  the  system,  though  mebby  I  hadn't  ort 
to  be  the  one  to  say  it. 

Wall,  in  the  mornin'  Cousin  John   Richard   wuz 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  43 

weak  as  a  cat.  All  tired  out.  He  couldn't  hardly 
get  round.  And  I  made  him  lay  down  on  the  lounge 
in  the  settin'  room,  and  I  give  him  spignut  syrup 
once  a  hour  most  all  day,  and  kep'  him  warm,  and 
lumps  of  maple  sugar  for  his  cough. 

And  by  night  he  seemed  like  a  new  man — that 
spignut  syrup  is  wonderful  ;  few  people  know  the 
properties  of  it. 

Wall,  Josiah  and  I  both  took  such  a  likin'  to  that 
good  onselfish  eloquent  creeter  that  we  prevailed  on 
him  to  stay  a  week  with  us  right  along. 

And  we  took  him  to  see  the  children,  and  Josiah 
took  him  up  to  Uncle  Thomas'es,  and  Cousin  So- 
phronia's  on  his  own  side,  and  we  done  well  by  him. 

And  I  fixed  up  his  clothes  with  Philury's  help— 
they  wuz  good  ones,  but  they  needed  a  woman. 
But  we  mended  'em  and  rubbed  'em  up  with  am 
monia  where  it  wuz  needed,  and  they  wuz  in  good 
condition  when  he  went  back  to  his  work. 

Good  land  !  wild  oxen,  nor  camels,  nor  nuthin' 
couldn't  have  kep'  him  from  that  "  field"  of  hisen. 

But  when  it  come  the  mornin'  for  him  to  leave,  he 
hated  to  go — hated  to  like  a  dog. 

And  we  hated  to  have  him  go,  we  liked  him  the 
best  that  ever  wuz.  And  we  tried  to  make  him 
promise  to  come  to  see  us  agin.  But  he  seemed  to 
feel  dubersome  about  it ;  he  said  he  would  have  to 
go  where  his  work  called  him. 

His  bizness  now  up  North  wuz  to  see  about  some 
money  that  had  been  subscribed  for  a  freedmen's- 
school  and  meetin*  house.  But  he  promised  to  write 
to  us  now  and  then,  and  he  spoke  with  deep  feelin' 
about  the  "sweet  rest  he  had  had  there,"  and 


44  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

how  he  never  should  forget  it  ;  he  talked  real  elo 
quent  about  it,  and  flowery,  but  he  meant  every 
word,  we  could  see  he  did. 

It  happened  curius  about  the  chapter  Josiah  read 
that  mornin' — he  most  always  reads  the  first  one  he 
opens  to.  And  it  wuz  the  one  where  Paul  tells 
about  his  hard  work  and  trials,  and  how  the  Lord 
had  brought  him  out  of  'em  all. 

How  he  wuz  beaten  with  rods,  and  stuned,  and 
wuz  in  perils  of  waters,  and  perils  by  his  own  coun 
trymen,  and  perils  by  the  heathen,  and  in  the  wilder 
ness,  and  amongst  false  brethren,  in  weariness,  and 
painfulness,  and  hunger  and  thirst,  and  cold  and 
nakedness. 

And  how  he  gloried  in  his  weakness  and  infirmi 
ties,  if  so  God's  strength  should  be  made  perfect 
and  His  will  be  accomplished. 

I  declare  for  it,  I  couldn't  help  thinkin'  of  Cousin 
John  Richard,  though  mebby  it  hain't  right  to  com 
pare  one  of  our  relations  to  Paul,  and  then  agin  I 
didn't  spoze  Paul  would  care.  I  knew  they  both 
on  'em  wuz  good,  faithful,  earnest  creeters  any 
way. 

Then  Cousin  John  Richard  prayed  a  prayer  that 
almost  caught  us  up  to  the  gates  of  Paradise,  it  wuz 
so  full  of  heavenly  love,  and  tenderness,  and  affec 
tion  for  us,  and  devotion  to  his  work,  and  every 
thing  good,  and  half  saintly. 

And  then  most  imegiatly  he  went  away  on  the 
mornin'  stage. 

And  at  the  very  last,  when  most  every  other  man 
would  be  a  thinkin'  of  umberells  or  shawl  straps,  he 
took  our  hands  in  hisen  and  sez  : 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  45 

"  Stand  fast  in  the  faith  !  be  strong  !"  And  then 
he  bid  us  "  good-bye,  and  God  bless  us  !"  and  wuz 
gone. 

Good,  faithful,  hard-workin'  creeter.  The  views 
he  had  promulgated  to  us  wuz  new  and  startlin',  and 
Josiah  and  he  couldn't  agree  on  'em  ;  but  where  is 
there  two  folks  who  think  alike  on  every  subject  ? 

But  whether  they  wuz  true  or  false,  I  knew  that 
John  Richard  believed  every  word  he  had  said 
about  the  state  of  affairs  in  the  South. 


WITH  PHILURY'S  HELP." 


CHAPTER   IT 

OSIAH    had    to  go  to  Shackville  with   a 
hemlock  saw  log  that  day,  so  he  went  off 
most  imegiatly  after  Cousin  John.  Rich- 
^          I      ard  departed. 
(C*     JJ          And  I  resoomed   the  occupation  I  had 
laid  down  for  the  last  week,  and  did  a 
big   day's    work,    with    Philury's    help,    a   cleanin' 
house. 

But  I  had  a  good  warm  supper  when  my  compan 
ion  returned.  I  always  will,  work  or  no  work, 
have  meals  on  time,  and  good  ones  too — though  I 
oughtn't  to  boast  over  such  doin's. 

We  had  cleaned  the  kitchen  that  day,  papered  it 
all  over  new  and  bright,  and  put  down  three 
breadths  of  a  new  rag  carpet,  acrost  the  west  end. 

And  I  had  put  up  some  pretty  new  curtains  of 
cream-colored  and  red  cheese  cloth,  one  breadth  of 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  47 

each  to  a  winder,  and  looped  'em  back  with  some 
red  lute-string  ribbon. 

And  I  had  hung  my  canary-cage  in  between  the 
two  south  winders,  over  the  stand  of  house  plants  ; 
and  the  plants  had  done  dretful  well,  they  wuz  in 
full  blow. 

And  then  I  brung  in  the  two  big  easy-chairs  cov 
ered  with  handsome  new  copper  plate — one  for 
Josiah  and  one  for  me. 

And  when  I  had  set  the  supper-table,  covered 
with  a  snowy  cloth,  in  front  of  the  south  winders, 
the  place  looked  well.  We  had  took  the  carpet  up 
in  the  dinin'  room  and  had  to  set  the  table  there. 
But  it  looked  well  enough  for  anybody. 

And  havin'  had  Philury  to  do  the  heaviest  of  the 
work,  I  didn't  feel  so  very  beat  out,  and  I  changed 
my  dress  and  sot  quiet  and  peaceful  and  very  calm 
in  my  frame  a  waitin'  for  my  companion,  while  the 
grateful  odor  of  broiled  chicksn,  and  cream  biscuit, 
and  the  rich  coffee  riz  up  and  permeated  the  room. 

Josiah  duz  love  a  cup  of  hot,  fragrant  coffee  with 
cream  into  it  when  he  has  been  to  work  in  the  cold 
all  day.  And  it  wuz  quite  cold  for  the  time  of  year. 

Wall,  I  had  put  on  a  good  new  gingham  dress  and 
a  white  apron,  and  I  had  a  lace  ruffle  round  my 
neck  ;  and  though  I  hain't  vain,  nor  never  wuz 
called  so,  only  by  the  envious,  still  I  knew  I  looked 
well. 

And  I  could  read  this  truth  in  my  companion's 
eyes  as  he  come  home  cold  and  cross  and  hungry — 
come  into  that  warm,  pleasant  room  and  into  the 
presence  of  his  devoted  pardner. 

At    once   and  imegiatly  his  cares,  his  crossness, 


48  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

and  his  troubled  mean  dropped  from  him  like  a  gar 
ment  he  wuz  tired  of,  and  he  felt  well. 

And  his  appetite  was  good — excellent. 

And  it  wuzn't  till  after  the  dishes  wuz  all  washed 
up,  and  we  wuz  a  settin'  on  each  side  of  the  stand, 
which  had  a  bright  cloth  and  a  clean  lamp  on  it,  I 
with  my  knittin'  work  and  he  with  his  World,  that  he 
resoomed  and  took  up  the  conversation  about  Cousin 
John  Richard's  beliefs. 

And  I  see,  jest  what  I  had  seen,  that  as  well  as  he 
liked  John  Richard,  that  worthy  creeter  had  not 
convinced  him  ;  and  he  even  felt  inclined,  now  the 
magnetism  of  his  presence  wuz  withdrawn,  to  pow 
at  his  earnest  beliefs  and  sentiments. 

I  waved  off  Josiah's  talk  ;  I  tried  to  evade  his  elo 
quence  (or  what  he  called  eloquence).  For  some 
how  John  Richard's  talk  had  made  more  impression 
onto  me  than  it  had  onto  Josiah,  and  I  could  not 
bear  to  hear  the  cherished  beliefs  of  that  good  man 
set  all  to  naut. 

So  I  tried  to  turn  off  Josiah's  attention  by  allusions 
to  the  tariff,  the  calves,  the  national  debt,  to  Ury's 
new  suit  of  clothes,  to  the  washboard,  to  Tirzah 
Ann's  married  life,  and  to  the  excellencies  and  beau 
ties  of  our  two  little  granddaughters  Babe  and  Snow 
— Tirzah  Ann's  and  Thomas  Jefferson's  little  girls. 

But  though  this  last  subject  wuz  like  a  shinin'  bait, 
and  he  ketched  on  it  and  hung  there  for  some  time, 
a  descantin'  on  the  rare  excellencies  of  them  two 
wonderful  children,  yet  anon,  or  nearly  so,  he  wrig 
gled  away  from  that  glitterin'  bait  and  swung  back 
to  the  subject  that  he  had  heard  descanted  on  so 
powerfully  the  night  John  Richard  come. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  49 

And  in  spite  of  all  my  nearly  frenzied  but  peaceful 
efforts — for  when  he  wuz  so  tired  and  beat  out  1 
wouldn't  use  voyalence — he  would  resoom  the  sub 
ject. 

And  sez  he  for  the  third  or  fourth  time  : 

"  John  Richard  is  a  crackin'  good  feller — they 
most  all  of  'em  are  that  are  on  my  side — but  for  all 
that  I  don't  believe  a  word  of  what  he  said  about  the 
South." 

I  kep'  demute,  and  wouldn't  say  what  I  did  be 
lieve  or  what  I  didn't,  for  I  felt  tired  some  myself  ; 
and  I  felt  if  he  insisted  and  went  on,  T  should  be  led 
into  arguin'  with  him. 

For  Cousin  John  Richard's  talk  had  fell  into  mel- 
ler  ground  in  my  brain,  and  I  more  than  mistrusted 
it  wuz  a  springin'  up  there  onbeknown  to  me. 

Josiah  Allen  and  I  never  did,  and  I  spoze  never 
will,  think  alike  about  things,  and  I  am  fur  more 
mejum  than  he  is. 

And  then  he  sort  o'  satisfies  himself  by  lookin'  at 
one  side  of  a  idee,  while  I  always  want  to  walk 
round  it  and  see  what  is  on  the  other  side  on  it,  and 
turn  it  over  and  see  what  is  under  it,  etc.,  etc. 

But  anon  he  bust  out  agin,  and  his  axent  was  one 
that  must  be  replied  to  ;  I  felt  it  wouldn't  do  to 
ignore  it  any  longer. 

Sez  he,  "  I  am  dead  sick  of  all  this  talk  about  the 
Race  Problem." 

'  Then  why,"  sez  I,  mildly  but  firmly,  "  why  do 
you  insist  on  talkin'  on  it  ?" 

"  I  want  to  tell  you  my  feelin's,"  sez  he. 

Sez  I,  "  I  know  'em,  Josiah  Allen." 

And  then  I  sot  demute,  and  hoped  I  had  averte 


50  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  R 'ACE  PROBLEM. 

the    storm— or,  ruther,   I  would   call  it  the  squall, 
for  I  didn't  expect  a  hard  tempest,  more  of  a  drizzle. 

So  I  knit  fast,  and  sot  in  hope. 

But  anon  he  begun  agin  : 

"  I  am  sick  on't.  I  believe  more'n  half  the  talk  is 
for  effect.  I  don't  believe  the  South  is  a  bleedin'  ; 
I  hain't  seen  no  blood.  I  don't  believe  the  niggers 
are  a  rizen,  I  hain't  seen  'em  a  gettin'  up.  I  believe 
it  is  all  folderol." 

And  then  I  sez,  a  lookin'  up  from  rny  knittin' 
work  : 

"  Be  mejum,  Josiah  Allen  ;  you  don't  live  there. 
You  hain't  so  good  a  judge  as  if  you  lived  in  the 
South  ;  you  hain't  so  good  a  judge  as  John  Richard 
is,  for  he  has  lived  right  there." 

And  he  snapped  out  real  snappish  : 

"  Wall,  there  is  lots  of  places  I  never  lived  in, 
hain't  there  ?  But  anybody  can  know  sunthin', 
whether  they  live  anywhere  or  not." 

But  I  kep'  on  real  mejum  and  a  talkin'  deep  rea 
son,  I  know  well. 

'  When  anybody  is  a  passin'  through  deep  waters, 
Josiah  Allen,  they  can  feel  the  cold  waves  and  the 
chill  as  nobody  can  who  is  on  dry  land." 

And  then  Josiah  said  them  inflammatory  words 
agin  that  he  had  hurled  at  the  head  of  John  Rich 
ard,  and  that  had  gaulded  him  so.  He  sez  in  a  loud, 
defiant  axent,  "  Oh  shaw  !" 

And  I  sez,  "  You  hain't  there,  Josiah  Allen,  and 
you  hain't  so  well  qualified  to  shaw,  and  shaw  ac- 
cordin*  to  principle,  as  if  you  wuz  there." 

'  Wall,  I  say,  and  contend  for  it,"  sez  he,  almost 
hotly,  "that  there  is  too  much  dumb  talk.  Why 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 


don't  the  niggers  behave 
themselves,  and  why  don't  the 
Southerners  treat  'em  as  I 
treat  Ury  ? 

41  Ury  has  worked  for  me 
upwards  of  seven  years,  and 
he  hain't  riz,  has  he  ?  And 
I  hain't  been  a  howlin'  at  him, 
and  a  whippin'  him,  and  a 
shootin'  at  him,  and  a  ridin' 
him  out  on  a  rail,  and  a  burnin' 
him  to  the  stake  if  he  Avouldn't  vote  me  in  Presi 
dent  ;  and  he  hain't  been  a  massecreein'  us,  not  that 
I  have  ever  hearn  on,  or  a  rapinin'  round,  and  I 
hain't  rapined  Philury,  have  I  ? 

"  If  there  is  any  truth  in  these  stories,  why  don't 
the  South  foller  on  and  do  as  I  do  ?  That  would 
end  their  troubles  to  once. 

"  Let  the  Southerners  act  as  I  do,  and  the  niggers 
act  like  Ury,  and  that  would  end  up  the  Race  Prob 
lem  pretty  sudden." 

Sez  I,  in  pretty  lofty  axents,  for  I  begun  to  feel 
eloquent  and  by  the  side  of  myself,  *'  How  many 
generations  has  it  took  to  make  you  honest  and  con 
siderate,  and  Ury  faithful  and  patient  ?  How  long 
has  it  took,  Josiah  Allen  ?" 

'  Why,  about  seven  years  or    thereabouts.     He 
come  in  the  middle  of  winter,  and  now  it  is  spring." 

Sez  I,  "It  has  took  hundreds  and  hundreds  of 
years,  Josiah  Allen." 

And  I  went  on  more  noble  and  deep  : 

"  Ury's  parents  and  grandparents,  and  back  as 
fur  as  he  knows,  wuz  good,  hard-workin',  honest 


52  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

men — so  wuz  yours.  You  are  both  the  children  of 
freedom  and  liberty.  You  haven't  been  saddled 
with  a  burden  of  ignorance  and  moral  and  physical 
helplessness  and  want.  He  has  no  lurid  back 
ground  of  abuse  and  wrongs  and  arrogance  to  in 
flame  his  fevered  fancies. 

"  You  might  as  well  say  that  you  could  gather  as 
good  grain  down  in  your  old  swamp  that  has  never 
been  tilled  sence  the  memory  of  man,  as  you  can  in 
your  best  wheat  field,  that  has  been  ploughed,  and 
harrowed,  and  enriched  for  year  after  year. 

'  The  old  swamp  can  be  made  to  yield  good  grain, 
Josiah  Allen,  but  it  has  got  to  be  burned  over,  and 
drained,  and  ploughed,  and  sown  with  good  grain. 

"  There  is  a  Hand  that  is  able  to  do  this,  Josiah 
Allen.  And,"  sez  I,  lookin'  off  some  distance  be- 
yend  him  and  Jonesville,  "  there  is  a  Hand  that  I  be 
lieve  is  a  dealin'  with  that  precious  soil  in  which 
saints  and  heroes  are  made,  and  where  the  beauteous 
flower  of  freedom  blows  out. 

"  Has  not  the  South  been  ploughed  with  the 
deep  plough  of  God's  purpose — burned  with  the 
lightnin'  of  His  own  meanin',  enriched  with  the 
blood  of  martyrs  and  heroes  ?  Has  not  the  cries  of 
His  afflicted  ones  rose  to  the  heavens  while  onbe- 
known  to  'em  the  chariot  of  Freedom  wuz  march- 
in'  down  towards  the  Red  Sea,  to  go  ahead  on  'em 
through  the  dretful  sea  of  bloodshed  and  tribula 
tions,  while  the  black  clouds  ol  battle  riz  up  and  hid 
the  armies  of  Slavery  and  Freedom,  hid  the  oppress 
ors  and  the  oppressed  ? 

"  But  the  sea  opened  before  'em,  and  they  passed 
through  on  dry  land. 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  53 

"  Now  they  are  encamped  in  the  wilderness,  and 
the  tall,  dark  shapes  of  Ignorance  and  Hereditary 
Weakness  and  Vice  are  a  stalkin'  along  by  their 
sides,  and  coverin'  'em  with  their  black  shadows. 
The  stumps  are  thick  in  their  way.  The  old  trees 
of  Custom  and  Habit,  though  their  haughty  tops 
may  have  been  cut  off  a  little  by  the  lightnin'  of 
war,  yet  the  black,  solid,  onbroken  stumps  stand 
thick  in  their  way — so  thick  they  can't  force  their 
way  through  'em — and  the  black  mud  of  Open 
Enmity,  and  Arrogance,  and  Prejudice  is  on  one  side 
of  'em,  and  on  the  other  the  shiftin',  treacherous 
quicksands  of  Mistaken  Counsel. 

'  Their  way  is  blocked  up,  and  the  light  is  dim 
over  their  heads.  Religion  and  Education  is  the 
light  that  is  goin'  ahead  on  'em  ;  but  that  piller  of 
fire  is  some  ways  ahead  of  'em,  and  its  rays  are 
hindered  by  the  branchin'  shadows  over  their  heads. 
And  who  will  be  the  Moses  to  lead  'em  out  of  this 
wilderness  into  their  own  land  ?" 

I  wuz  almost  entirely  by  the  side  of  myself  with 
deep  emotions  of  pity  and  sympathy  and  a  desire  to 
help  'em,  and  I  felt  riz  up,  too,  in  my  mind — awful 
riz  up — and  I  spoke  out  agin,  entirely  onbeknown  to 
myself  : 

"  Who  will  be  the  Moses  to  lead  'em  into  the 
Promised  Land?" 

"  Wall,  it  won't  be  me,"  sez  Josiah.  "I  am 
goin'  out  to  bed  down  the  horses." 

I  wuz  took  aback,  and  brung  down  too  sudden 
from  the  Mount  of  Eloquence  I  had  been  standin' 
on. 

And  I  put  on  my  nightcap  and  went  to  bed. 


54  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

Now,  I  don't  spoze  you  would  believe  it — most 
anybody  wouldn't — but  the  very  next  mornin'  Josiah 
Allen  resoomed  and  took  up  that  conversation  agin, 
that  I  fondly  hoped  he  had  thrown  down  for  good 
when  he  so  suddenly  departed  to  the  horse  barn. 

But  if  you  can  believe  it,  before  I  got  breakfast 
ready,  while  he  was  a  wipin'  his  hands  to  the  sink 
on  the  roller  towel,  he  broke  out  agin  as  fresh  seem 
ingly  in  debate  as  ever. 

If  I  had  mistrusted  it  ahead  I  should  have  made 
extra  preparation  for  breakfast,  for  the  purpose  of 
quellin'  him  down,  but  I  hadn't  dreamed  of  his  re- 
soomin'  it  agin  ;  and  I  only  got  my  common  run  of 
brekfasses,  though  it  wuz  very  good  and  appe- 
tizin'. 

I  had  some  potatoes  warmed  up  in  cream,  and 
some  lamb-chops  broiled  brown  and  yet  juicy,  some 
hot  muffins  light  as  a  feather,  and  some  delicious 
coffee — it  wuz  good  enough  for  a  King  or  a  Zar — 
but  then  it  wuzn't  one  of  my  choice  efforts,  for  prin 
ciple's  sake,  which  I  often  have  to  make  in  the 
cookin'  line,  and — good  land  ! — which  every  other 
human  woman  has  to  make  who  has  a  man  to  deal 
with. 

We  can't  vote,  and  we  have  to  do  sunthin'  or 
other  to  get  our  own  way. 

Wall,  as  I  wuz  a  say  in',  he  broke  out  anew,  and 
sez  he  : 

"  I  am  sick  as  a  dog  of  all  this  talk  about  the  Race 
Problem." 

And  then  agin  I  uttered  them  wise  words  I  had 
spoken  the  night  before  ;  they  wuz  jest  heavy  with 
wisdom  if  he  had  only  known  it  ;  and  sez  I  : 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  55 

"  What  makes  you  keep   a  bringin'  it  up,  then 
and  a  talkin'  about  it  ?" 

And  agin  he  sez,  "  He  done  it  to  let  me  know 
how  he  felt  about  it." 

And  agin  I  sez,  "  I  knew  it  before." 

And  I  silently  but  smoothly  poured  my  sweet 
cream  over  my  sliced  potatoes,  and  turned  my  lamb- 
chops  and  drawed  my  coffee  forwards  so  it  would 
come  to  a  bile. 

And  he  repeated,  "  I  believe  in  lettin'  things 
alone  that  don't  consarn  us  ;  it  hain't  none  of  our 
bizness. " 

And  seein'  he  wuz  bound  on  talkin'  on  it,  why,  I 
felt  a  feelin'  that  I  must  roust  up  and  set  him  right 
where  I  see  he  wuz  wrong  ;  I  see  it  was  my  duty  as 
a  devoted  pardner.  And  so,  after  we  had  got  down 
to  the  table,  and  he  sez  agin  in  more  powerful  and 
even  high-headed  axents,  "  that  it  wuz  none  of  our 
bizness,"  then  I  spunked  up  and  sez,  "  It  seems  to 
me,  Josiah  Allen,  that  the  cause  of  eternal  truth  is 
always  our  bizness." 

"  Oh,  wall  !  it  hain't  best  to  meddle  ;  that  is  my 
idee,  and  that  is  my  practice.  Don't  you  know  that 
when  Ury  had  that  fight  with  Sam  Shelmadine,  I 
said  I  wouldn't  either  make  nor  break?  I  said  I 
won't  meddle,  and  I  didn't  meddle.  It  wuzn't  my 
bizness." 

"  But  you  found  it  wuz  your  bizness  before  you 
got  through  with  it — you  lost  Ury's  help  six  weeks 
in  your  hurryenst  time,  when  he  wuz  away  to  the 
lawsuit,  etc.,  etc.  And  it  made  Philury  sick,  and  you 
and  I  had  to  be  up  with  her  more  or  less,  and  you 
took  cold  there  one  night,  and  had  a  sickness  that 


WHEN  URY   HAD   THAT   FIGHT   WITH   SAM." 


SAM  AN  TIT  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  57 

lasted  you  for  weeks  and  almost  killed  you  ;  and  if 
you  had  died,"  sez  I  in  deep  tones  of  affection  and 
pathos,  "  if  you  had  left  your  devoted  pardner  for 
ever,  could  you  have  looked  me  in  the  face  arid  said 
that  this  trouble  of  theirs  wuzn't  nuthin'  that  affect 
ed  us  ?  No  ;  when  a  black  cloud  comes  up  the  sky 
you  can't  tell  where  the  lightnin'  is  a  goin'  to  hit — 
whether  it  will  strike  saint  or  sinner."  I  see  he 
wuz  affected  by  my  tender  and  eloquent  allusion  to 
his  passin'  away  ;  for  a  moment  he  looked  softened 
and  almost  as  if  he  wuz  a  goin'  to  lay  down  the 
argument  somewhere  and  leave  it  there.  But  anon 
his  linement  clouded  up,  and  he  assumed  the  ex 
pression  of  doggy  obstinacy  his  sect  knows  so  well 
how  to  assume,  and  sez  he  : 

"  But  this  is  sunthin'  entirely  different.  There 
hain't  no  earthly  possibility  that  this  nigger  question 
can  affect  us  one  way  or  another  ;  there  hain't  no 
way  for  it  to,"  sez  he. 

Sez  I,  "  Hain't  you  got  a  heart,  Josiah  Allen,  to 
help  others  who  are  in  trouble  and  jeopardy,  and 
don't  know  which  way  to  turn  to  get  the  right 
help?" 

"  I  have  got  a  heart  to  help  Number  One — to  help 
Josiah  Allen — and  I  have  got  a  heart  to  mind  my 
own  bizness,  and  I  am  a  goin'  to." 

And  he  passed  over  his  cup  agin  for  the  third 
cup  of  coffee.  That  man  drinks  too  much  coffee — it 
hain't  good  for  him  ;  but  I  can't  help  it  ;  and  my 
coffee  is  delicious  anyway,  and  the  cream  is  thick 
and  sweet,  and  he  loves  it  too  well,  as  I  say  ;  but  as 
good  as  it  wuz,  it  couldn't  draw  his  mind  from  his 
own  idees. 


58  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

Sez  he  agin,  in  louder  axents  and  more  decideder 
ones  : 

"  There  hain't  no  possible  way  that  we  can  be 
affected  by  the  Race  Problem  one  way  or  another." 

And  I  begun  to  feel  myself  a  growin'  real  elo 
quent.  I  don't  love  to  get  so  eloquent  that  time  of 
the  day,  but  mebby  it  wuz  the  effect  of  that  gauldin' 
tone  of  hisen.  Anyway,  I  sez  : 

"It  is  impossible  to  guard  one's  self  aginst  the 
effects  of  a  mighty  wrong. 

"  The  links  that  weld  humanity  together  are  such 
curius  ones,  wove  out  of  so  many  strands,  visible 
and  invisible,  strong  as  steel  and  relentless  as  death, 
and  that  reach  out  so  fur,  so  fur  on  every  side,  how 
can  any  one  tell  whether  a  great  strain  and  voya- 
lence  inflicted  on  the  lowest  link  of  that  chain  may 
not  shatter  and  corrode  and  destroy  the  very  high 
est  and  brightest  one  ? 

'  The  hull  chain  of  humanity  is  held  in  one  hand, 
and  we  are  bein'  pulled  along  by  that  mighty,  inex 
orable  hand  into  we  know  not  what. 

"  The  link  that  shines  the  brightest  to-day  may  be 
rusty  to-morrow,  the  strongest  one  may  be  torn  in 
pieces  by  some  sudden  and  voyalent  wrench,  or 
some  slow,  wearin'  strain  comin'  from  beneath. 

"  How  can  we  tell,  and  how  dast  we  say  that  a 
evil  that  affects  one  class  of  humanity  can  never 
reach  us — how  do  we  know  it  won't  ?" 

"  Because  we  do  know  it  !"  hollered  Josiah.  "  I 
know  it  is  jest  as  I  tell  you,  that  that  dumb  nigger 
question  can't  never  touch  us  anyway.  I've  said 
it,  and  I'll  stick  to  it." 

But  I  still  felt  real  eloquent,  and  I  went  right  on 


SA  MA  NTH 'A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  59 

and  drew  some  metafors,  as  I  most  always  do  when 
I  get  to  goin',  I  can't  seem  to  help  it. 

Sez  I,  "  The  temperate  man  may  say  the  liquor 
question  will  never  affect  him,  but  some  day  he 
gathers  his  sober  children  about  him,  and  finds  one 
is  missin' — the  pet  of  them  all  driven  down  in  the 
street  to  death  by  a  drunken  driver. 

44  A  Christian  woman  sez,  '  This  question  of  So 
cial  Purity  cannot  affect  me,  for  I  am  pure  and  come 
from  a  pure  ancestry.'  But  there  comes  a  day 
when  she  finds  the  lamb  of  her  flock  overtaken  and 
slain  by  this  evil  she  thought  could  never  touch  her. 

"  The  rich  capitalist  sets  back  in  his  luxurious 
chair  and  reads  of  the  grirn  want  that  is  howlin' 
about  the  hovels  of  the  poor  laborers,  the  deaths  by 
exposure  and  starvation.  The  graves  of  these 
starved  victims  seem  fur  off  to  him.  They  can 
never  affect  him,  he  thinks,  so  fur  is  he  removed  in 
his  luxurious  surroundin's  from  all  sights  of  woe 
and  squalor. 

44  But  even  as  he  sets  there  thinkin'  this,  in  his 
curtained  ease,  a  bullet  aimed  by  the  gaunt,  fren 
zied  hand  of  some  starvin'  child  of  labor  strikes  his 
heart,  and  he  finds  in  death  the  same  level  that  the 
victims  of  want  found  by  starvation. 

44  The  mighty  chain  of  humanity  has  drawn  'em 
on  together,  the  high  and  the  low,  down  to  the 
equality  of  the  grave. 

44  The  hull  chain  of  humanity  is  held  in  one  hand 
anyway,  and  is  beyend  our  control  in  its  conse 
quences. 

44  And  how  dast  we  to  say  with  blind  confidence 
that  we  know  thus  and  so  ;  that  the  evils  that  affect 


6o  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

our  brothers  will  not  some  time  come  to  us  ;  that  the 
shadows  that  lay  so  heavy  on  their  heads  will  not 
some  time  fall  on  us  ?" 

1  They  hain't  our  brothers,"  hollered  out  Josiah 
in  fearful  axents.  He  wuzn't  melted  down  at  all  by 
my  eloquent  remarks  ;  no,  fur  from  it. 

'  They  hain't  my  brothers,  and  I  know  these 
dumb  doin's  in  the  South  won't  affect  us,  nor  can't, 
and  you  can't  make  it,"  sez  he. 

The  idee  of  my  wantin'  to  !  But  that  is  the  nater 
of  men — wantin'  to  say  sunthin'  to  kinder  blame  a 
female.  And  truly  he  acted  mad  as  a  hen  to  think 
I  should  venter  to  talk  back,  or  even  speak  on  the 
subject. 

Oh,  short-sighted  man  that  he  wuz — when  the 
darkness  wuz  even  then  gatherin'  in  the  distance 
onbeknown  to  us,  to  take  the  shape  of  the  big 
shadow  that  wuz  to  fall  on  his  poor  old  heart  and 
mine — the  shadow  reachin'  from  the  Southern  sky 
even  unto  the  North,  and  that  would  blot  out  all  the 
sunshine  for  us  for  many  and  many  a  weary  day, 
and  that  we  must  set  down  under  for  all  the  rest  of 
our  lives  ! 

But  I  am  a  eppisodih'. 


MELINDA. 


CHAPTER    III. 


w 


«=r\  /7s*  ALL,  it  never  rains  but  it  pours, 

duz  it  ?  And  it  has  been  my 
experience  durin'  quite  a  mid- 
dim'  long-  life  (jest  how  long, 
hain't  no  matter,  as  I  know  on,  to  anybody  but 
the  man  who  takes  our  senses). 

But  as  I  wuz  savin',  it  has  always  been  my  ex 
perience  that  if  company  gets  to  comin'  either  on 
my  side  or  hisen,  they  keep  a  comin'. 

And  it  wuz  only  a  short  time  after  John  Richard's 
departure  and  exodus  that  I  got  a  letter  from  a 
aunt  on  my  side  kinder  askin'  and  proposin'  to  have 
her  daughter  Melinda  Ann  come  to  Jonesville  to 
make  us  a  long  visit. 

And  only  a  little  while  after  this,  one  of  hisen  writ 
to  the  same  effect. 


62  SAMAN7^HA    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  we  had  'em  both  here  to  one  time. 

It  wuz  hard,  but  it  seemed  providential,  and 
couldn't  be  helped,  and  it  worked  out  a  onexpected 
good  in  the  end  that  paid  us  some  for  it.  But  I 
wouldn't  go  through  it  agin  for  a  dollar  bill. 

You  see  the  way  on't  is,  I  sot  out  in  married  life 
determined  to  do  as  well  or  better  by  the  relations 
on  his  side  than  I  did  by  them  on  my  own  side.  I 
wuz  bound  to  do  well  by  the  hull  on  'em,  jest 
bound  to. 

But  I  made  up  my  mind  like  iron  that  I  would 
stand  more,  take  more  sass,  be  more  obleegin',  and 
suffer  and  be  calm  more  from  hisen  than  from  mine, 
and  I  would  do  awful,  awful  well  by  both  sides. 

And  it  wuz  these  beliefs  carried  out  and  spread 
out  into  practice  that  caused  my  agonies  and  my 
sufferin's  that  I  went  through  for  weeks. 

The  way.  on't  wuz,  I  had  a  letter  from  the  city 
from  my  great-aunt  Melinda  Lyons,  a  tellin'  me  that 
her  oldest  girl,  Melinda  Ann  (a  old  maiden),  wuz 
all  run  down  with  nervous  prostration,  nervous  fits 
and  things,  and  she  asked  me  if  I  would  be  willin'  to 
have  her  come  down  into  the  country  and  stay  a 
few  weeks  with  me. 

Wall,  Aunt  Melinda  had  done  a  good  many  good 
turns  by  me  when  I  wuz  a  girl,  and  then  I  set  quite 
a  good  deal  of  store  by  Melinda  Ann,  she  and  I  wuz 
jest  about  of  a  age,  and  I  talked  it  over  with  Josiah, 
and  we  give  our  consents  and  writ  the  letter,  and 
the  next  week  Melinda  Ann  come  on,  bag  and  bag 
gage.  A  leather  trunk  and  a  bag  for  baggage. 

Wall,  we  found  Melinda  Ann  wuz  very  good  dispo- 
sitioned  and  a  Christian,  but  hard  to  get  along  with. 


MELINDA   HAS   A   FIT. 


64  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

The  least  thing  we  could  do  or  say  that  wuz  not 
jest  so  would  throw  her  into  a  fit — a  nervous  fit  you 
know — she  would  have  spazzums,  and  all  sally 
away,  and  faint  like,  and  act. 

And  then  I  would  have  to  soothe  her  with  cat 
nip,  and  bring  her  up  with  mustard  poultices,  and 
apply  a  soap-stone  to  her. 

Why,  one  night  Josiah  happened  to  throw  he 
bootjack  down  kinder  hard  (he  had  a  corn  and  hit 
it,  bein'  the  cause). 

Wall,  I  stood  over  Melinda  more'n  two  hours 
after  that,  three  poultices  bein'  applied  in  vain  for 
relief,  till  arneky  softened  the  blow  to  her. 

And  one  night  the  slats  came  out  of  the  hired 
man's  bed,  jest  acrost  the  hall  from  hern,  and  it 
took  more'n  a  quart  of  catnip  to  make  her  hull 
agin. 

And  the  cat  fell  through  the  suller  winder — we 
have  got  a  blind  cat  that  acts  like  fury,  always  a  fall- 
in'  round  and  a  prowlin' — wall,  I  thought  Melinda 
Ann  would  never  come  to. 

She  thought  it  wuz  Injuns ;  and  the  cat  did 
scream  awful,  I'll  admit  ;  it  fell  onto  some  tin  ware 
piled  up  onto  a  table  under  the  winder,  and  it  skairt 
even  the  cat  almost  to  death,  so  you  can  imagine 
the  condition  it  throwed  Melinda  into.  I  thought  it 
wuz  ghosts,  and  so  did  Josiah,  and  felt  riz  up  in  my 
mind  and  full  of  or. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin',  and  to  resoom. 

Wall,  I  guess  Melinda  Ann  had  been  there  about 
a  week,  and  as  well  as  I  liked  Aunt  Melinda,  and  as 
well  as  I  loved  duty,  I  wuz  a  beginnin'  to  feel  per 
fectly  beat  out  and  fearfully  run  down  in  my  mind 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  65 

and  depressted,  for  fits  is  depresstin',  no  matter  how 
much  duty  and  nobility  of  soul  you  may  bring  to 
bear  onto  'em,  or  catnip. 

Wall,  I  wuz  a  beginnin'  to  look  bad,  and  so  wuz 
Josiah,  although  Josiah,  though  I  am  fur  from  ap- 
provin'  of  his  course,  yet  it  is  the  truth  that  he 
seemed  to  find  some  relief  in  givin'  vent  to  his  feel- 
in's  out  on  one  side,  and  blowin'  round  and  groanin' 
out  to  the  barn  and  in  the  woodhouse,  more  than  I 
did,  who  took  it  calm,  and  considered  it  a  dispensa 
tion  from  the  first,  and  took  it  as  such. 

Wall,  if  you'll  believe  it,  right  on  the  top  of  these 
sufferin's  come  a  letter  from  a  relation  of  Josiah *s,  a 
widowed  man  by  the  name  of  Peter  Tweedle. 

He  wuz  a  distant  relation  of  Josiah  Allen — lived 
about  two  hundred  miles  away. 

He  writ  that  he  wuz  lonesome — he  had  lost  his 
companion  for  the  third  time,  and  it  wore  on  him. 
He  felt  that  the  country  air  would  do  him  good. 
(We  found  out  afterwards  that  he  had  rented  his 
house  sence  his  bereavement  and  had  lived  in  a 
boarding-house,  and  had  been  warned  out  by  the 
crazed  landlady  and  the  infuriated  boarders,  owing 
to  reasons  which  will  appear  hereafter,  and  had  to 
move  on). 

Wall,  he  wanted  to  come  and  visit  round  to  our 
house  first,  and  then  to  the  other  relations. 

And  I  sez  to  myself,  it  is  one  of  'em  on  his  side, 
and  not  one  word  will  I  say  agin  the  idee,  not  if 
I  fall  down  in  my  tracks. 

And  Josiah  was  so  kinder  beat  out  with  Melinda, 
and  depressted  and  wore  out  by  havin'  to  go  round 
in  his  stockin'  feet  so  much  and  whisperin',  that  he 


66  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

said,  "  That  any  change  would  be  a  agreeable  one, 
and  he  should  write  for  Peter  to  come." 

And  I,  buoyed  up  by  my  principle,  never  said  a 
word  agin  the  idee,  only  jest  this  : 

"  Think  well  on  it,  Josiah  Allen,  before  you  make 
the  move." 

And  sez  Josiah,  <4  It  will  be  a  comfort  to  make  a 
move  of  any  kind." 

He  had  been  kep'  awful  still,  I'll  admit.  But  I 
couldn't  see  how  it  wuz  goin'  to  make  it  any  better 
to  have  another  relation  let  in,  on  whomsoever's  side 
they  wuz. 

Howsomever,  1  see  that  Josiah  wuz  determined, 
and  I  felt  a  delicacy  about  interfering  knowin'  well 
that  I  had  one  of  the  relations  on  my  own  side  in 
the  house.  Who  wuz  I,  I  sez  to  myself— who  be 
I,  to  set  up  agin  hisen  ?  No,  I  never  will.  So  the 
letter  of  acceptance  wuz  writ,  and  in  less  than  a 
week's  time  Peter  Tweedle  come. 

We  spozed  he  would  bring  a  satchel  bag  with 
him  ;  mebby  a  big  one,  but — good  land  !  Josiah 
had  to  go  after  his  baggage  with  the  Democrat 
wagon.  We  see  he  had  come  to  stay  ;  it  wuzn't  a 
evenescent  visit,  but  a  long  campane. 

We  didn't  know  at  the  time  that  they  wuz  most  all 
musical  instruments  ;  we  thought  they  wuz  clothes. 

I  see  a  black  shadder  come  over  my  companion's 
face  as  he  shouldered  the  fifth  trunk  and  took  it  up 
two  flights  of  stairs  into  the  attick. 

He  had  filled  the  bedroom  and  hall. 

Wall,  I  guess  Peter  Tweedle  hadn't  been  in  the 
house  over  half  an  hour  before  he  walked  up  to  the 
organ  and  asked  me  if  it  wuz  in  good  repair. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  &7 

I  sez,  "  I  guess  so." 

Sez  he,  "  How  many  banks  of  reeds  is  in  it  ?" 

I  sez,  "  I  don't  know." 

Sez  he,  "  Have  you  any  objections  to  my  tryin' 
it?" 

I  sez,  "No." 

Sez  he,  "  Sence  my  last  affliction  I  have  turned 
my  mind  agin  towards  music,  I  find  it  soothes."  Sez 
he,  "  After  my  first  bereavement  I  took  up  the 
pickelo — I  still  play  on  it  at  intervals  ;  I  learned 
that  and  the  snare  drum  durin'  them  dark  hours," 
sez  he.  "  And  I  still  play  on  'em  in  lonesome  mo 
ments.  I  have  'em  both  with  me,"  sez  he. 

"  Durin'  my  next  affliction  I  learned  the  clari 
net,  the  fife,  and  the  base  violin.  Now,"  sez  he, 
"  I  am  turnin'  my  mind  onto  the  brass  horn  in 
various  keys.  But  I  have  brought  all  my  instru 
ments  with  me,"  sez  he,  in  a  encouragin'  axent. 
"  I  frequently  turn  from  one  to  another.  When  I 
get  lonesome  in  the  night,"  sez  he,  "I  frequently 
run  from  one  to  another  till  I  have  exhausted  the 
capabilities  of  each,  so  to  speak." 

I  sithed  and  couldn't  help  it,  but  I  held  firm  on 
the  outside,  and  he  turned  to  the  organ. 

"  I  love  the  organ,"  sez  he  ;  and  with  that  he  sot 
down  on  the  music-stool,  opened  up  all  the  loud 
bases,  the  double  octave  coupler,  blowed  hard,  and 
bust  out  in  song. 

Wall,  it  all  come  jest  as  sudden  onto  Melinda  as  a 
thunder-clap  out  of  a  parlor  ceilin',  or  a  tornado  out 
of  a  teacup,  it  wuz  as  perfectly  onexpected  and  on- 
looked  for  as  they  would  be,  and  jest  as  skairful. 

For  this  wuz  one  of  her  bad  days,  and  bein'  a  old 


68  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

maid,  we  thought  mebby  it  would  excite  her  too 
much  to  know  a  widower  wuz  in  the  house,  so  we 
had  kep'  it  from  her. 

And  the  first  intimation  she  had  of  Peter'ses  pres 
ence  wuz  this  awful  loud  blast  of  sound. 

His  voice  wuz  loud  in  the  extreme,  and  it  wuz 
"  Coronation"  he  bust  out  in. 

He  is  pious,  there  hain't  a  doubt  bn't,  but  still 
"  Coronation"  is  the  loudest  him  in  the  him-book. 

Wall,  the  very  first  time  he  blasted  forth  I  knew 
jest  as  well  as  I  knew  afterwards  what  the  result 
would  be. 

I  hastened  upstairs,  and  there  she  wuz,  there  sot 
Melinda  Ann  in  a  fit  ;  she  hadn't  had  time  to  get 
onto  the  bed,  and  there  she  sot  bolt  upright  in  her 
rockin'  chair  in  a  historical  fit.  We  had  better  let 
her  known  he  wuz  there. 

Wall,  I  histed  her  onto  the  bed  as  quick  as  I 
could,  and  hollered  down  the  back  stairs  for  catnip. 

And  as  soon  as  I  had  brung  her  to  a  little,  she 
would  clench  right  into  me,  and  groan  and  choke, 
and  sort  o'  froth  to  the  mouth. 

And  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  didn't  feel  like  it  myself, 
for  right  down  under  our  feet  I  heard  that  loud, 
thunderin'  organ,  for  his  legs  wuz  strong,  and  he 
blowed  hard. 

But  yet  so  curius  is  human  nater,  specially 
wimmen's  human  nater — right  there  in  my  agony  I 
couldn't  help  bein'  proud  o'  that  instrument.  I  had 
no  idee,  I  said  to  myself,  not  a  idee,  that  it  had  such 
a  volume  of  sound. 

But  loud  as  it  wuz,  Peter'ses  clarion  voice  rung 
out  loud  and  high  above  it. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


69 


It  wuz  a  fearful  time,  very.  But  even  at  that 
moment  I  sez  to  myself  agin  : 

"He  is  a  relation  on  his  side — be  calm  !"  and  I 
wuz  calm. 


"IT  WUZ  4  HOLD  THE  FORT*  HE  BELCHED  OUT  IN." 

Wall,  I  rubbed  Melinda  Ann  and  explained  it  to 
her,  and  poulticed  her,  and  got  her  kinder  settled 
down. 

And  I  see  it  took  up  her  mind  some.  She  didn't 
seem  to  dislike  it  now,  after  the  first  shock  wuz  over. 

And  I  left  her  propped  up  on  her  piller  a  listening 
and  went  down  and  got  supper. 


.Jp* 


70  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Wall,  it  wuz  all  I  could  do  to  get  that  man  away 
from  the  instrument  long  enough  to  eat. 

He  seemed  to  be  kinder  absent-minded  and  lost 
like  till  he  got  back  to  it  agin. 

Wall,  it  had  been  still  for  some  time  ;  you  couldn't 
hear  a  thing  from  the  dinin*  room  up  in  Melinda's 
room.  And  when  he  bust  out  agin  imegiatly  after 
supper,  it  wuz  too  much,  too  much,  for  I  spoze  she 
had  been  in  a  drowze. 

It  wuz  "  Hold  the  Fort"  he  belched  out  in,  with 
all  the  steam  on.  He  had  a  way,  Peter  had,  of  bust- 
in*  out  loudest  when  he  begun,  and  then  kinder 
dwindle  down  towards  the  last  of  the  piece.  (But  it 
wuz  one  of  'em  on  his  side,  and  I  didn't  murmur, 
not  out  loud,  I  didn't.) 

Wall,  I  knew  what  wuz  before  me  at  the  first  vol 
ley  of  sound.  I  sez  to  myself  : 

"  Melinda  Ann  !  Melinda  Ann  !"  and  hurried  up 
stairs. 

And  there  she  wuz  lay  in'  back  on  her  piller  with 
her  eyes  rolled  up  in  her  head  and  hxed,  and  her 
nuckels  clenched. 

Wall,  I  brung  her  to  agin  after  a  long  and  tejus 
process,  and  then  agin  I  see  that  she  sort  o'  enjoyed 
it ;  and  I  left  her  propped  up  and  went  down  and 
helped  do  up  the  work. 

Wall,  Peter  never  stopped  playin'  till  a  late  bedtime. 

And  then  I  might  have  slept  some  at  first,  only 
Josiah  begun  a  noise  where  he  left  off,  a  scoldin'  and 
a  jawin'. 

And  oh  !  my  sufferin's  that  I  suffered  with  that 
man.  I  reminded  him  that  Peter  wuz  a  relation  on 
his  side — no  avail. 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  71 

I  brung  up  his  lonesome  state. 

Josiah  said,  "  He'd  ought  to  be  lonesome  !  He'd 
ought  to  be  fur  away  in  the  middle  of  the  desert  or 
on  a  island  in  the  depths  of  the  seas.  Alone  ! 
alone!" 

He  raved,  he  swore,  he  said,  "  Dumb  him  !"  re 
peatedly. 

You  see  Josiah  hated  music  anyway,  only  the 
very  softest,  lowest  kind  ;  and  Peter'ses  wuz  powerful 
— powerful  and  continuous. 

But  I  reminded  Josiah  Allen  in  the  cause  of  duty 
that  he  had  complained  that  the  house  wuz  too  still 
sence  Melinda  Ann  had  come,  and  he  wanted  a 
noise. 

"  I  never  wanted  to  be  in  a  Lunatick  Asylum,"  sez 
he  ;  "I  didn't  hanker  for  Bedlam,"  he  yelled. 

Wall,  suffice  it  to  say  that  I  never  got  a  wink  of 
sleep  till  past  midnight.  And  mebby  it  wuz  about 
one  o'clock,  when  all  of  a  sudden  we  wuz  all  waked 
up  by  a  low,  rumblin*  noise,  strange  and  weird. 

My  first  thought  was  a  earthquake,  and  then  a 
cyclone. 

But  Josiah  Allen  had  waked  up  first  and  got  his 
senses  before  I  did,  and  sez  he  : 

"  It  is  that  dumb  fool  a  play  in'  on  a  base  viol." 

And  that  wuz  what  it  proved  to  be.  He  had  got 
lonesome  in  the  night,  and  got  up  and  onpacked  the 
base  viol,  and  wuz  playin'  a  low,  mournful  piece  on 
it,  so's  not  to  wake  us  up. 

He  said  in  the  mornin'  that  he  held  it  in  for  that 
purpose. 

He  is  a  good-natured  creeter,  and  a  mourner, 
there  hain't  no  doubt  on't,  and  so  I  told  Josiah. 


72  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  he  snapped  out  enough  to  take  my  head  off  : 

"He'd  ought  to  mourn!  I  mourn,"  sez  he, 
"  Heaven  knows  I  do.  But  I  shan't  mourn  after  the 
first  ray  of  daylight,  for  Til  take  his  trunks  and  throw 
'em  outdoors,  and  him  on  top  of  'em.  And  I'll  cast 
out  Melinda  Ann  like  a  viper,"  sez  he.  "  I'll  empty 
the  house  of  the  hull  crew  of  fools  and  lunaticks  !  I'll 
do  it,"  sez  he,  "  if  I  have  a  breath  left  in  my  body." 

When  he  sez  this  I  thought  of  Melinda  Ann.  Had 
she  got  a  breath  left  ?  Wuz  she  alive  ?  Or  wuz 
she  not  ? 

I  jest  sprung  over  Josiah  Allen,  I  trompled  on 
him,  I  won't  deny  it,  in  my  haste  to  get  up,  and  I 
left  him  groanin'  and  a  sayin'  in  a  low,  mournful 
axent  : 

'  That  foot  could  never  be  stepped  on  agin  by 
him." 

But  I  didn't  stop  to  comfort  him  ;  no,  my  mind 
wuz  too  much  took  up  with  the  relation  on  my  side. 

I  hastened  upstairs,  and  there  wuz  my  worst  fears 
realized. 

Melinda  Ann  wuz  wild  as  a  hen  hawk. 

She  had  got  the  winder  up  and  wuz  jest  a  spring- 
in'  out.  I  ketched  her  by  her  limb  and  hollered  for 
Josiah.  Before  he  got  there  she  had  got  her  hands 
clenched  into  my  hair  and  wuz  a  try  in'  to  choke  me. 

But,  good  land  !  she  didn't  know  what  she  wuz  a 
doin*. 

Wall,  Josiah  Allen  by  main  strength  got  her  into 
the  house  agin,  and  after  a  tussle  we  got  her  onto 
the  bed.  And  then  I  begun  to  doctor  her  up. 

But  I  never  tried  to  go  to  bed  agin  that  night,  for 
it  wuz  daylight  before  I  got  her  quieted  down. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


73 


Wall,  Josiah  had  to  go  off  that  mornin'  early  on 
bizness,  to  be  gone  all  day.  And  I  wuz  glad  on't, 
for  I  wuz  afraid,  in  spite  of  all  I  could  do,  he  would 


i 


"  I    KETCHED    HER   BY    HER    LIMB.' 


do  sunthin'  to  disgrace  himself  in  the  eyes  of  both 
sides.     His  last  words  to  me  wuz  : 

"  If  1  find  either  of  them  cussed  fools  in  the  house 


74  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

when  I  get  back,  I'll  burn  the  house  down  over  their 
heads." 

But  I  knew  he  wouldn't,  I  knew  he  would  quiet 
down  while  he  wuz  gone,  and  he  did. 

But  my  sufferin's  through  that  day  can't  never  be 
told  or  sung.  And  the  martyrs  that  I  called  on, 
and  the  groans  and  sithes  that  I  smothered  in  my 
breast  waist,  couldn't  be  told. 

But  jest  as  I  expected,  when  Peter  first  blasted 
out  on  the  clarinet  loud  and  strong,  not  bein'  afraid 
of  wakin*  anybody  up,  I  had  to  drop  everything  and 
go  right  up  to  Melinda  Ann.  But  the  attack  wuz 
light,  and,  as  usual,  after  she  got  over  the  first  shock 
she  enjoyed  it. 

And  I  happened  to  mention — havin'  that  pride  I 
have  spoke  of,  of  havin'  the  relations  on  his  side 
stand  on  their  best  foot  before  mine — I  happened  to 
mention  that  Peter  got  up  and  played  in  the  night, 
because  he  wuz  lonesome,  and  that  he  said  he  would 
give  half  his  property  (he  wuz  well  off)  if  he  had 
somebody  to  play  the  organ  while  he  played  the 
clarinet. 

I  see  she  grew  more  meller-lookin'  and  brightened 
up,  and  she  sez  : 

"  I  used  to  be  a  good  player." 

And  if  you'll  believe  it — I  don't  spoze  you  will, 
for  Josiah  wouldn't  when  I  told  him  that  night — 

But  when  Josiah  Allen  came  home  that  night  they 
wuz  a  playin'  together  like  a  pair  of  turkle  doves, 
she  a  playin'  the  organ,  and  he  a  settin'  by  her  a 
tootin',  both  as  happy  as  kings. 

And  'from  that  time  out  she  never  got  skairt  agin 
when  he  bust  out  sudden  in  song  or  begun  gradual. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  75 

And  her  fits  grew  lighter  and  lighter  and  fur  sel- 
domer. 

And  though  our  suffering  wuz  heavy  and  severe 
to  hear  that  organ  and  clarinet,  or  base  viol,  or 
pickelo,  or  brass  horn  a  goin'  day  and  night,  yet  I 
seemed  to  see  what  wuz  a  comin'  on't,  and  1  held 
Josiah  by  main  force  to  stand  still  and  let  providen 
tial  circumstances  have  a  straight  path  to  move 
on  in. 

Wall,  after  two  weeks  of  sufferin'  on  our  part 
almost  onexampled  in  history,  ancient  or  modern, 
the  end  come. 

Peter  Tweedle  took  Josiah  out  one  side  and  told 
him,  as  bein'  the  only  male  relation  Melinda  Ann 
had  handy  to  get  at,  "  that  he  had  it  in  his  mind  to 
marry  her  quietly  and  take  her  at  once  to  his  home 
in  the  city,"  and  he  asked  Josiah  "  if  he  had  any  ob 
jections." 

And  Josiah  told  me  that  he  spoke  out  fervently 
and  earnestly,  and  sez,  "  No  !  Heaven  knows  I 
hain't." 

And  he  urged  Peter  warm  to  have  the  weddin' 
sudden  and  to  once,  that  very  day  and  hour,  and 
offered  to  get  the  minister  there  inside  of  twenty 
minutes. 

But  I  wuz  bound  to  have  things  carried  on  decent. 
So  I  sot  the  day  most  a  week  off,  and  I  sent  for 
Aunt  Melinda  and  his  children  that  wuz  married, 
and  the  single  one,  and  we  had  a  quiet  little  wed 
din',  or  it  would  have  been,  only  the  last  thing  that 
they  done  in  the  house  before  they  left  wuz  to  get 
the  hull  crew  on  'em  to  bust  out  in  a  weddin'  song 
loud  enough  almost  to  raise  the  ruff. 


76  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Wall,  Peter  writ  to  Josiah  that  he  hadn't  been 
lonesome  sence  it  took  place,  not  a  minute. 

And  Melinda  Ann  writ  to  me  that  she  hadn't  had 
a  fit  sence,  nor  a  spazzum. 

So,  as  I  told  Josiah  Allen,  our  sufferin's  brung 
about  good  to  two  lonesome  and  onhappy  and  fitty 
creeters,  and  we  ort  to  be  thankful  when  we  look 
back  on  our  troubles  and  afflictions  with  'em. 

And  he  looked  at  me  enough  to  take  my  head  off, 
if  a  look  could  guletine,  and  sez  he  : 

'  Thankful  !  Oh,  my  gracious  Heaven  !  hear 
her  !  Thankful !" 

And  his  tone  wuz  such  that  I  hain't  dasted  to 
bring  up  the  subject  sence.  No,  I  don't  dast  to, 
but  I  do  inside  of  me  feel  paid  for  all  I  went 
through. 


PETER    AND    MELINDA   ANN. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

ALL,  it  wuzn't  more  than  a  few  days 
after  the  marriage  and  departure  of 
Peter  and  Melinda  Ann,  when  I  got 
a  letter  from  Cousin  John  Richard 
—he  wuz  then  in  South  Carolina,  hard  at  work  agin, 
literally  follerin'  the  example  of  Him  who  went 
about  doin'  good. 

The  letter  wuz  writ  in  pure  friendship,  and  'then 
he  wanted  to  find  out  the  ingredients  of  that  spignut 
syrup  I  had  give  him  when  he  wuz  at  Jonesville, 
his  throat  wuz  a  botherin'  him  agin,  and  he  said  that 
had  helped  him. 

That  is  a  good  syrup,  very,  though  mebby  I  hadn't 
ort  to  say  it.  It  is  one  that  I  made  up  out  of  my 
own  head,  and  is  a  success. 

Yeller  dock,  and  dandelion  roots,  and  spignut, 
steeped  up  strong,  and  sweetened  with  honey. 

I  sent  it  to  him  to  once,  with  some  spignut  roots  b) 
mail ;  I  wuz  afraid  he  couldn't  get  'em  in  the  South. 


7  8  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  in  my  letter  I  asked  him  out  of  politeness, 
as  it  were,  how  he  wuz  a  gettin'  along  colporterin', 
and  if  things  looked  any  brighter  to  him  in  the  South. 

And  such  a  answer  as  I  got — such  a  letter  !  why, 
it  wuz  a  sermon  almost.  Jest  as  skairful,  jest  as 
earnest,  and  jest  as  flowery  as  the  talk  he  had  talked 
to  us  when  he  wuz  with  us. 

Why,  it  fairly  sent  the  cold  chills  over  me  as  I 
read  it. 

But  it  madded  Josiah.  He  wuz  mad  as  a  hen  to 
hear  it,  and  he  said  agin  that  he  believed  Cousin 
John  Richard  (Josiah  knew  he  wuz  jest  as  good  as 
gold,  and  he  wouldn't  brook  a  word  from  anybody 
else  agin  him),  but  he  said  he  believed  he  wuz  a 
losin*  his  faculties. 

He  didn't  believe  a  word  on't.  He  didn't  believe 
there  wuz  any  danger  nor  any  trouble  ;  if  folks  would 
only  let  the  South  alone  and  mind  their  own  biz- 
ness,  it  would  get  along  well  enough.  But  some 
folks  had  always  got  to  be  a  putterin*  around,  and 
a  meddlin',  and  he  shouldn't  wonder  a  mite  if  John 
Richard  wuz  a  doin'  jest  such  a  work  as  that. 

And  I  sez  mildly,  "  Sometimes  things  have  to  be 
meddled  with  in  order  to  get  ahead  any." 

"  Wall,"  sez  he,  "  don't  you  know  how, -if  there 
is  any  trouble  in  a  family,  the  meddlers  and  inter- 
ferers  are  the  ones  that  do  the  most  mischief  ?" 

"  But,"  sez  I,  "  teachin'  religion  and  distributin' 
tracts  and  spellin'  books  hadn't  ort  to  do  any  hurt. ' ' 

"  Wall,  I  d'no,"  sez  Josiah.  "  I  d'no  what  kind 
of  tracts  he  is  a  circulatin',  mebby  they  are  inflami- 
tory.  If  they  are  offen  a  piece  with  some  of  his  talk 
here,  I  should  think  the  South  would  ride  him  out." 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  79 

And  so  Josiah  went  on  a  runnin'  John  Richard's 
work  and  belief  down  to  the  lowest  notch  ;  and  I 
wuz  glad  enough  when  Deacon  Henzy  come  in  on  a 
errant,  for  I  wuz  indeed  in  hopes  that  this  would 
change  the  subject. 

But  my  hopes,  as  all  earthly  expectations  are 
liable  to  be,  wuz  blasted.  For  Josiah  went  right  on 
with  his  inflamed  speeches  and  his  unbelief  about 
any  danger  a  threatenin'  the  nation  from  the  South. 

And  I  truly  found  myself  in  the  condition  of  the 
one  mentioned  in  Scripture  (only  different  sex  and 
circumstances),  where  it  sez  the  last  state  of  that 
man  wuz  worse  than  the  first.  For  while  my  pard- 
ner's  talk  had  consisted  mostly  of  the  sin  of  unbelief, 
Deacon  Henzy's  remarks  wuz  full  of  a  bitter  hatred 
and  horstility  towards  the  ex-slaveholders  of  the 
Southern  States. 

He  truly  had  no  bowels  of  compassion  for  'em, 
not  one. 

He  come  from  radical  abolitionist  stock  on  both 
sides,  and  wuz  brung  up  under  the  constant  throw- 
in'  of  stuns,  thro  wed  by  parents  and  grandparents 
at  them  they  considered  greater  sinners  than  them 
selves. 

And  Deacon  Henzy  had  gathered  up  them  stuns 
and  set  'em  in  a  settin'  of  personal  obstinacy  and 
bigotry,  and  wore  'em  for  a  breastplate. 

And  hard  it  wuz  to  hit  any  soft  place  under  them 
rocky  layers  of  prejudices  inherited  and  acquired. 

And  he  and  his  folks  before  him  didn't  know 
what  the  word  mejum  wuz,  not  by  personal  experi 
ence. 

It  needed  only  a  word   to  set  him  off.      Josiah 


8o  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

spoke  that  word,  and  the  wheel  begun  to  turn  and 
grind  out  denunciations  of  the  Southerners  as  a 
class  and  as  a  people. 

Oh,  how  he  rolled  out  big-soundin'  terms  of 
scathin'  reproaches  and  burnin'  rebukes,  and  the 
horrible  wickedness  of  one  human  bein'  enslavin' 
another  one  and  enrichin'  himself  on  the  unpaid 
labor  of  a  brother  man  ! 

Why,  it  wuz  fairly  skairful  to  hear  him  go  on,  fur 
skairfuller  than  Josiah's  talk. 

He  had  always  talked  rampant  on  the  subject  I 
knew,  but  as  rampant  as  he  had  always  been  he  wuz 
now  fur  rampanter  than  I  had  ever  known  him 
to  be. 

But  as  I  found  out  most  imegiatly,  he  wuz  agitat 
ed  and  excited  on  this  occasion  almost  more  than  he 
could  bear,  when  he  first  come  in. 

For  he  soon  went  on  and  told  us  all  about  it. 

A  boy  he  had  took — Zekiel  Place  by  name— had 
run  away  and  left  him  ;  or,  that  is,  he  had  made  all 
his  preparations  to  go  when  the  Deacon  found  it  out, 
and  the  boy  give  him  the  chance  of  lettin'  him  go  or 
keepin'  him  and  payin'  him  wages  for  his  work. 

Now,  Deacon  Henzy,  like  so  many  other  human 
creeters,  wuz  so  intent  on  findin'  out  and  stunin' 
other  folks'es  faults,  that  he  didn't  have  time  to  set 
down  and  find  out  about  his  own  sins  and  stun  him 
self,  so  to  speak. 

He  never  had  thought,  so  I  spoze,  what  a  hard 
master  he  wuz,  and  how  he  had  treated  Zekiel  Place. 

But  I  knew  it  ;  and  all  the  while  he  went  on  a 
talkin'  about  "the  ignorance  and  wastefulness  and 
shiftlessness  of  this  class  of  boys,  and  how  impossi- 


SA  MA  NTH 'A   ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  8, 

ble  it  wuz  to  manage  'em  and  keep  'em  down  in  their 
places  ;  how  you  had  to  set  down  on  'em  and  set 
heavy  if  you  didn't  want  to  be  bairded  to  your  face 
and  run  over  by  'em  ;  how  if  you  give  'em  an  inch 
they  would  take  a  ell,  and  destroy  and  waste  more 
than  their  necks  wuz  worth,"  etc.,  etc.,  etc. — 

All  the  while  he  wuz  a  goin'  on  and  a  sayin'  all  this 
I  kep'  up  a  thinkin',  for  I  knew  that  Zekiel  was  a 
middlin'  good  boy,  and  had  been  misused  by  the 
Deacon,  so  I  had  hearn — had  been  worked  beyend 
his  strength,  and  whipped,  and  didn't  get  enough  to 
eat,  so  the  boy  said. 

The  Deacon  had  took  him  for  his  board  and 
clothes  ;  but  his  board  wuz  hard  indeed,  and  very 
knotty,  and  his  clothes  wuz  very  light,  very. 

And  so,  bein',  as  I  spoze,  sort  o'  drove  to  it,  he 
riz.  And  as  I  say,  the  Deacon  was  madder  than  any 
hen  I  ever  see,  wet  or  dry 

"The  idee,"  sez  he,  "of  that  boy,  that  I  have 
took  care  on  ever  sence  he  wuz  a  child,  took  care  on 
him  in  health,  and  nussed  him,  and  doctored  him 
when  he  wuz  sick"  (lobelia  and  a  little  catnip  wuz 
every  mite  of  medicine  he  ever  give  him,  and  a  lit 
tle  paregoric,  so  I  have  been  told) — "the  idee  of 
that  boy  a  leavin'  me — a  rizin'  up  and  a  sayin'  as  pert 
as  a  piper,  '  If  you  don't  want  to  hire  me,  let  me 

go.; ' 

'  Wall,  which  did  you  do,  Deacon  ?"  sez  I. 
'  Why,  I  hired  the  dumb  upstart  !     I  couldn't  get 
along  without  his  work,  and  he  knew  it." 

4  The  laborer,'  Deacon   Henzy,"  sez  I,  solemn, 
'  is  worthy  of  his  hire.'  " 
"  Wall,  didn't  I  lay  out  to  pay  him  ?     I  laid  out 


82  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

this  very  fall  to  get  him  a  pair  of  pantaloons  and  a 
vest  and  a  cravat.  I  laid  out  to  pay  him  richly. 
And  he  had  better  a  trusted  to  me,  who  have  been 
a  perfect  father  and  gardeen  to  him,  than  to  have 
riz  up  and  demanded  his  pay.  But,"  sez  he,  "  there 
is  no  use  of  talkin'  about  it  now,  it  only  excites  me 
and  onmans  me,  and  I  come  in  merely  to  borry  a 
augur  and  have  a  little  neighborly  visit. 

And  then  wantin',  I  spoze,  to  take  his  mind  off  en 
his  own  troubles,  he  sort  o'  launched  off  agin  onto 
his  favorite  theme  of  runnin'  down  the  Southerners. 

"  The  Southern  people,"  sez  he,  "  are  a  mass  of 
overbearing  tyrannical  slave-drivers,  selfish,  without 
principles  or  consciences,  crackin'  their  whips  over 
the  blacks,  drivin'  'em  to  work,  refusin'  'em  any  jus 
tice." 

'  Why,"  sez  I,  "  the  slaves  are  liberated,  Deacon 
Henzy." 

14  Wall,  why  be  they  ?"  sez  he.  "  It  wuzn't  from 
any  good  will  oh  the  part  of  the  bloated  aristocracy 
of  the  South.  They  liberated  'em  because  they  had 
to.  Why  didn't  they  free  'em  because  it  wuz  right 
to  free  'em  ?  because  it  wuz  right  and  just  to  the 
slaves  ?  because  it  wuz  a  wicked  sin  that  cried  up  to 
the  heavens  to  make  'em  labor,  and  not  pay  'em 
for  it?" 

Why,  he  went  on  in  fearful  axents  of  wrath  and 
skorn  about  it,  and  finally  bein'  so  wrought  up,  he 
said,  "  that  them  that  upholded  'em  wuz  as  bad  as 
they  wuz." 

Why,  we  had  never  dreamed  of  upholdin'  'em, 
nor  thought  on't ;  but  he  felt  so. 

He  threw  stuns  fearful  at  the  South,  and  at  Josiah 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  03 

and  me  because  we  didn't  jine  in  with  him  and  rip 
and  tear  as  he  did. 

And  them  stuns  kinder  hurt  me  after  a  while  ;  and 
so,  when  he  asked  me  for  the  seventh  time  : 


DEACON   HENZY. 


4  Why  didn't  they  free  their  slaves  before  they 
wuz  obleeged  to  ?" 

Then  I  sez,  "  It  wuz  probable  for  the  same  reason 
that  you  didn't  liberate  Zekiel— mostly  selfish 
ness  !" 


84  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"  What !  what  did  you  say  ?"  He  could  not  be 
lieve  his  ear  ;  he  craned  his  neck,  he  turned  the 
other  ear.  He  wuz  browbeat  and  stunted  ;  and 
agin  he  sez  :  ' '  What  did  you  say  ?' ' 

And  I  sez  agin,  calm  as  cream,  but  sharp  and 
keen  as  a  simiter,  "  I  said  it  wuz  selfishness,  Dea 
con,  and  the  power  of  old  custom — jest  the  reasons 
why  you  didn't  free  Zekiel." 

His  linement  fell  more'n  a  inch.  Like  the  Queen 
of  Sheba  before  Solomon  (only  different  sex)  he  had 
no  spirit  left  in  him. 

He  never  had  mistrusted  ;  it  made  him  feel  so 
awful  good  to  run  the  South  further  down  than  any 
thing  or  anybody  wuz  ever  run — he  never  mistrust 
ed  that  he  had  ever  done  anything  onjust,  or  mean, 
or  selfish. 

He  loved  to  deplore  Southern  sins,  but  never 
looked  to  see  if  Northerners  wuzn't  committin'  jest 
as  ojeus  ones. 

I  mean  good,  well-meanin'  Christian  men,  not  to 
say  anything  about  our  white  slaves  in  the  cities 
who  make  shirts  for  five  cents  apiece,  and  sign  their 
contracts  with  their  blood. 

Nor  the  old  young  children  who  are  shut  away 
from  God's  sunshine  and  air  in  Northern  manufac 
tories  and  mines,  and  who  are  never  free  to  be  out 
under  the  beautiful  sky  till  the  sun  has  gone  down 
or  the  grass  is  growin'  between  it  and  their  hollow, 
pitiful  faces. 

Nor  the  droves  of  street  ruffians  and  beggars 
whose  souls  and  bodies  suffer  and  hunger  jest  as 
much  under  the  Northern  Star  as  under  the  South 
ern  Cross. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  85 

No,  I  didn't  mean  any  of  these,  but  jest  respect 
able  church-goers  like  Deacon  Henzy. 

And  he,  like  so  many  others,  wuz  jest  as  blind  to 
the  idee  as  if  he  had  been  born  with  leather  specta 
cles  on  and  had  wore  'em  ever  sence. 

It  is  a  good  thing  for  folks  North  or  South  to 
have  their  blinders  tilted  up  a  little  now  and  then, 
and  get  a  glimpse  of  daylight  into  their  orbs.  I  had 
tilted  up  hisen,  and  wuzn't  sorry  a  mite,  not  a  mite. 
He  had  been  a  throwin'  stuns  powerful,  and  he  had 
got  hit  from  one. 

And  pretty  soon,  after  settin'  demute  for  quite  a 
spell,  he  got  up  and  left  for  home,  feelin'  and  actin' 
quite  meek  and  humble-sperited  for  him. 

And  I  have  hearn  sence,  and  it  comes  straight  to 
me — Zekiet's  mother  told  Miss  Biddlecom's  Liza, 
and  Liza's  sister-in-law  told  it  to  the  Editor  of  the 
Augur  ses  wife's  mother-in-law,  and  she  told  it  to  she 
that  wuz  Celestine  Govvdey,  and  she  that  wuz  Celes- 
tine  told  old  Miss  Minkley,  and  she  told  me— it 
come  straight — that  Deacon  Henzy  give  Zekiel  that 
very  night  a  dollar  bill,  and  from  what  I  hear  he  has 
mellered  up  and  used  him  first  rate  ever  sence. 

Yes,  that  man  wuz  blind  as  a  bat  and  blinder.  He  had 
been  for  years  a  hackin'  at  the  beams  that  riz  up  on  the 
Southern  brethren's  eyes,  and  there  he  wuz  a  growin' 
a  hull  crop  of  motes,  and  payin'  no  attention  to  'em. 

But  selfishness  and  injustice  grows  up  jest  as  rank 
under  Northern  skies  as  Southern  ones,  and  motes 
and  beams  flourish  equally  rank  in  both  sections. 

And  Christians  North  and  Christians  South  have 
to  tussle  with  that  same  old  man  the  Bible  speaks  of, 
and  anon  or  oftener  they  get  throwed  by  him. 


"JOSIAH  S   BALD   HEAL)    AND    MINE.  ' 

CHAPTER   V. 

Iwuz  a  strange  thing  to    come   most  imegi- 
atly   after  Cousin   John    Richard's  visit,  and 
our  almost  excited   interview    with    Deacon 
Henzy — that    Thomas    J.    should    make    the 
dicker  he  did  make,   and  havin'   made  it,  to 
think  that  before  a  very  long  time  had  passed  over 
Josiah  Allen's  bald  head  and  mine  (it  wuz  his  head 
that  wuz  bald,  not  mine)  that  we  two,  Josiah  Allen 
and  me,  should  be  started  for  where  we  wuz  started 
for,  to  come  back  we  knew  not  when. 

Yes,  it  happened  curius,  curius  as  anything  I 
ever  see — that  is,  as  some  folks  count  curosity.  As 
for  me,  I  feel  that  our  ways  are  ordered  and  our 
paths  marked  out  ahead  on  us. 

You  know  when  the  country  is  new,  somebody 
will  go  ahead  through  the  forests  and  "  blaze"  the 
trees,  so  the  settlers  can  foller  on  the  path  and  not 
get  lost. 

Wall,  I  always  feel  that  we  poor  mortals  are  sot 
down  here  in  a  new  country — and  a  strange  one, 
God  knows — and  the  wilderness  stretches  out  round 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  87 

us  on  every  side,  and  we  are  likely  to  get  lost,  dret- 
ful  likely. 

But  there  is  Somebody  who  goes  ahead  on  us  and 
marks  out  our  pathway.  He  makes  marks  that  His 
true  children  can  see  if  they  only  look  sharp  enough, 
if  they  put  on  the  specks  of  Faith  and  the  blinders 
of  Onworldliness,  and  look  keen.  And,  above  all, 
reach  out  their  hands  through  the  shadows,  and 
keep  close  hold  of  the  hand  that  guides  'em. 

And  all  along  the  way,  though  dark  shadows 
may  be  hoverin'  nigh,  there  is  light,  and  glory,  and 
peace,  and  pretty  soon,  bimeby  they  will  come  out 
into  a  large  place,  the  fair  open  ground  of  Beauty 
and  Desire,  into  all  that  they  had  hoped  and  longed 
for. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin'  fearful,  and  to  resoom. 

As  I  say,  to  the  outside  observer  it  seemed  queer, 
queer  as  a  dog,  that  after  all  our  talk  on  the  subject 
(and  it  seemed  as  if  Providence  had  jest  been  a  pre- 
parin'  us  for  what  wuz  to  come),  that  I  myself, 
Josiah  Allen's  wife,  should  go  with  my  faithful  pard- 
ner  down  South  to  stay  for  we  knew  not  how  long. 

Wall,  the  way  on't  wuz,  our  son  Thomas  Jefferson, 
who  is  doin'  a  powerful  big  bizness,  made  a  dicker 
with  a  man  from  the  South  for  a  big  piece  of  land  of 
hisen,  a  old  plantation  that  used  to  be  splendid  and 
prosperous  before  the  war,  but  wuz  now  run  down. 
The  name  of  the  place — for  as  near  as  I  can  make  out 
they  have  a  practice  of  namin'  them  old  plantations — 
wuz  Belle  Fanchon,  a  sort  of  a  French  name,  I  wuz 
told. 

Wall,  Thomas  J.,  in  the  way  of  bizness,  had  got 
in  his  hands  a  summer  hotel  at  a  fashionable  resort, 


88  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

and  this  man  wanted  to  trade  with  him.  He  hadn't 
owned  this  plantation  long- — it  had  come  into  his 
hands  on  a  mortgage. 

Wall,  Thomas  Jefferson  was  offered  good  terms, 
and  he  made  the  trad 

And  early  in  the  fall  Maggie,  our  son's  wife,  got 
kinder  run  down  (she  had  a  young  child),  and  corn- 
in*  from  a  sort  of  a  consumptive  family  on  her  fa 
ther's  side,  the  doctor  ordered  her  to  go  South  for 
the  winter. 

He  said,  in  her  state  of  health  (she  had  been  weak 
as  a  cat  for  months)  he  wouldn't  like  to  resk  the  cold 
of  our  Northern  winter. 

Wall,  of  course  when  the  doctor  said  this  (Thomas 
Jefferson  jest  worships  Maggie  anyway)  he  thought 
at  once  of  that  old  plantation  of  hisen,  for  he  had 
made  the  bargain  and  took  the  place,  a  calculatin* 
to  sell  it  agin  or  rent  it  out. 

And  the  upshot  of  the  matter  wuz  that  along  the 
last  of  October,  when  Nater  seemed  all  rigged  out 
in  her  holiday  colors  of  red  and  orange  to  bid  'em 
good-bye,  our  son  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Maggie, 
and  little  Snow,  and  the  baby  boy  that  had  come  to 
'em  a  few  months  before,  all  set  sail  for  Belle  Fan- 
chon,  their  plantation  in  Georgia. 

Yes,  the  old  girl  (Nater)  seemed  to  be  a  standin'  up 
on  every  hill-top  a  wavin'  her  gorgeous  bandana 
handkerchief  to  'em  in  good-bye  ;  and  her  blue 
gauze  veil  that  floated  from  her  forwerd  looked 
some  as  if  it  had  tears  on  it,  it  looked  sort  o'  dim 
like  and  hazy. 

Josiah  and  I  went  to  the  depot  with  'em,  and  on 
our  way  home  Nater  didn't  look  very  gay  and  fes- 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  89 

tive  to  us  neither,  though  she  wuz  dressed  up  in 
pretty  bright  colors — no,  indeed  ! 

Her  gorgeous  robes  looked  very  misty  and  droop- 
in'  to  me.  I  didn't  weep,  I  wouldn't  be  so  simple 
as  that.  The  tears  sort  o'  run  down  my  face  some, 
but  I  wouldn't  weep — I  wouldn't  be  so  foolish  when 
I  knew  that  they  wuz  comin'  home  in  the  spring, 
God  willin'. 

But  the  kisses  they  had  all  left  on  my  face  seemed 
to  kinder  draw  me  after  'em.  And  I  felt  that  quite 
a  number  of  things  might  happen  between  that  time 
and  the  time  when  Nater  and  I  would  dress  up  agin 
to  meet  'em— she  in  her  pale  green  mantilly,  and  I 
in  my  good  old  London  brown,  and  we  would  both 
sally  out  to  welcome  'em  home. 

But  I  didn't  say  much,  I  jest  kep'  calm  and  de- 
mute  on  the  outside,  and  got  my  pardner  jest  as 
good  a  dinner  as  if  my  heart  wuzn't  a  achin'. 

I  felt  that  I  had  to  be  serene  anyway,  for  Josiah 
Allen  was  fearfully  onstrung,  and  I  knew  that  my 
influence  (and  vittles)  wuz  about  the  only  things 
that  could  string  him  up  agin. 

So  I  biled  my  potatoes  and  briled  my  steak  with 
a  almost  marble  brow,  and  got  a  good,  a  extra  good 
dinner  for  him  as  I  say,  and  the  vittles  seemed  to 
comfort  him  considerable. 

Wall,  time  rolled  along,  as  it  has  a  way  of 
doin'. 

Good  land  !  no  skein  of  yarn,  no  matter  how 
smooth  it  is,  and  no  matter  how  neat  the  swifts  run, 
nor  how  fast  the  winder  is— nuthin'  of  that  kind  can 
compare  with  the  skein  of  life  hung  onto  the  swifts 
of  time— how  fast  they  run,  how  the  threads  fly,  how 


9o 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


impossible  it  is  to  stop  'em  or  make  'em  go  slower, 
or  faster,  or  anything  ! 

They  jest  turn,  and  turn,  and  turn,  and  the  day's 
reel  off  en  the  swifts,  and  the  months  and  the 
years. 

Why,  if  you  jest  stopped  still  in  your  tracks  and 
meditated  on  it,  it  would  be  enough  to  make  you 
half  crazy  with  the  idee — of  that  noiseless  skein  of 
life  that  Somebody  somewhere  is  a  windin' — Some 
body  a  settin'  back  in  the  shadows  out  of  sight,  a 
payin'  no  attention  to  you  if  you  try  to  find  out  who 
it  is,  and  why  he  is  a  windin',  and  how  long  he  cal 
culates  to  keep  the  skein  a  goin',  and  what  the  yarn 
is  a  goin'  to  be  used  for  anyway,  and  why,  and  how, 
and  what. 

No  answer  can  you  get,  no  matter  how  hard  you 
may  holler,  or  how  out  of  breath  you  may  get  a  try- 
in'  to  run  round  and  find  out. 

You  have  got  to  jest  set  down  and  let  it  go  on. 
And  all  the  time  you  know  the  threads  are  a  run- 
nin*  without  stoppin',  and  a  bein'  wound  up  by 
Somebody — Somebody  who  is  able  to  hold  all  the 
innumerable  threads  and  not  get  'em  mixed  up  any, 
and  knows  the  meanin'  of  every  one  of  'em,  till 
bimeby  the  thread  breaks,  and  the  swifts  stop. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin'.  Wall,  as  I  said,  time  rolled 
along  till  they  had  been  down  South  most  two 
months,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  wrote  me  that  Mag 
gie  seemed  a  good  deal  better,  and  he  wuz  encour 
aged  by  the  change  in  her. 

When  all  of  a  sudden  on  a  cold  December  evenin' 
we  got  a  letter  from  Maggie.  Thomas  Jefferson 
wuz  took  down  sick,  and  the  little  girl. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  91 

And  there  wuz  Maggie,  that  little  delicate  thing, 
there  alone  amongst  strangers  in  a  strange  land. 

And  sez  she,  "  Mother,  what  shall  I  do  ?" 

That  wuz  about  all  she  said  in  the  way  of  com 
plaint  or  agony.  She  wuzn't  one  to  pile  up  words, 
our  daughter  Maggie  wuzn't.  But  that  wuz 
enough. 

"  Mother,  what  shall  I  do  ?  what  can  I  do  ?" 

I  illustrated  the  text,  as  artists  say,  while  I  wuz  a 
readin'.  I  see  her  pale  and  patient  face  a  bendin' 
over  the  cradle  of  the  infant,  and  little  Snow,  and 
over  my  boy,  my  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  laid  on  my 
heart  in  his  childhood  till  his  image  wuz  engraved 
there  for  all  time,  and  for  eternity  too,  /  think. 

Wall,  my  mind  wuz  made  up  before  I  read  the 
last  words  :  "  Your  loving  and  sorrowful  daughter, 
Maggie." 

Yes,  my  mind  wuz  all  made  up  firm  as  a  rock  ; 
and  to  give  Josiah  Allen  credit,  where  credit  is  due, 
so  wuz  hisen — his  mind  wuz  made  up  too. 

He  blowed  his  nose  hard,  and  used  his  bandana 
on  that,  and  his  two  eyes,  and  he  said,  "  Them 
specks  of  hisen  wuz  jest  a  spilin'  his  eyes." 

And  I  took  up  my  gingham  apron  and  wiped  my 
eyes. 

My  spectacles  sort  o'  hurt  my  eyes,  or  sunthin', 
and  my  first  words  wuz,  "  How  soon  can  we  start  ?" 

And  Josiah's  first  words  wuz,  "I'll  go  and  talk 
it  over  with  Ury.  I  guess  to-morrow  or  next  day." 

Wall,  Ury  and  Philury  moved  right  in  and  took 
charge  of  things  and  helped  us  off,  and  in  less  than 
a  week's  time  we  wuz  on  our  way  down  through  the 
snow-drifts  and  icickles  of  the  North  to  the  green- 


92  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

ness  and  bloom  of  the  orange-trees  and  magnolias. 
Down  from  the  ice-bound  rivers  of  the  North  to  the 
merry,  leapin'  rivulets  of  Belle  Fanchon.  Down 
from  the  cold  peace  and  calm  of  our  Jonesville 
farm,  down  to  the  beauty  and  bloom  of  our  boy's 
home  in  the  South  land,  the  sorrow  and  pathos  of 
his  love- watched  sick-bed,  and  our  little  Snow's 
white-faced  gladness. 

We  got  there  jest  as  the  sun  set.  The  country 
through  which  we  had  been  a  passin'  all  day  and  for 
some  time  past  wuz  a  hard  and  forbidden-lookin' 
country — sand,  sand,  sand,  on  every  side  on  us,  and 
piled  up  in  sand-heaps,  and  stretched  out  white 
and  smooth  and  dreary-lookin'. 

Anon,  or  mebby  oftener,  we  would  go  by  some 
places  sort  o'  sot  out  with  orange-trees,  so  I  spozed, 
and  some  other  green  trees.  And  once  in  a  while 
we  would  see  a  house  set  back  from  the  highway 
with  a  piazza  a  runnin'  round  it,  and  mebby  two  on 
'em. 

And  the  children  a  playin'  round  'em,  and  the 
children  a  wanderin'  along  the  railroad-track  and 
hangin'  about  the  depots  wuz  more  than  half  on  'em 
black  as  a  coal. 

A  contrast,  I  can  tell  you,  to  our  own  little  Jones- 
villians,  with  their  freckled  white  faces  and  their 
tow  locks  a  hangin'  over  their  forwerds. 

The  hair  of  these  little  boys  and  girls  wuzn't  hair, 
it  wuz  wool,  and  it  curled  tight  round  their  black 
forwerds.  And  their  clothes  wuz  airy  and  unpre 
tentious  in  the  extreme  ;  some  on  'em  had  only  jest 
enough  on  to  hide  their  nakedness,  and  some  on  'em 
hadn't  enough. 


THE  COLORED   CHILDREN. 


94  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

But  our  boy's  place  wuz  beautiful.  It  looked  like 
a  picture  of  fairy  land,  as  we  see  it  bathed  in  the  red 
western  light.  And  though  we  felt  that  we  might 
on  closter  inspection  see  some  faults  in  it,  we 
couldn't  seem  to  see  any  then. 

It  wuz  a  big  house,  sort  o'  light  grey  in  color, 
with  a  piazza  a  runnin'  clear  round  it,  and  up  on  the 
next  story  another  piazza  jest  as  big,  reared  up  and 
runnin'  all  round— a  verandy  they  called  it. 

And  both  stories  of  the  piazza  wuz  almost  covered 
with  beautiful  blossomin'  vines,  great  big  sweet 
roses,  and  lots  of  other  fragrant  posies  that  I  didn't 
know  the  name  of,  but  liked  their  looks  first  rate. 

There  wuz  a  little  rivulet  a  runnin'  along  at  one 
side  of  the  front  yard,  and  its  pleasant  gurglin'  sound 
seemed  dretful  sort  o'  friendly  and  pleasant  to  us. 

The  yard — the  lawn  they  called  it — wuz  awful  big. 
It  wuz  as  big  as  from  our  house  over  to  Deacon 
Gowdey's,  and  acrost  over  to  Submit  Danker'ses, 
and  I  don't  know  but  bigger,  and  all  sorts  of  gay 
tropical  plants  wuz  sot  out  in  bunches  on  the  green 
grass,  and  there  wuz  lots  of  big  beautiful  trees  a 
standin'  alone  and  in  clusters,  and  a  wide  path  led  up 
from  the  gate  to  the  front  door,  bordered  with  beau 
tiful  trees  with  shinin'  leaves,  and  there  in  the  front 
door  stood  our  daughter  Maggie,  white-faced,  and 
gladder-lookin'  than  I  ever  see  her  before. 

How  she  did  kiss  me  and  her  Pa  too !  She 
couldn't  seem  to  tell  us  enough,  how  glad  she  wuz 
to  see  us  and  to  have  us  there. 

And  my  boy,  Thomas  Jefferson,  cried,  he  wuz  so 
glad  to  see  us. 

He  didn't  boohoo  right  cut,  but  the  tears  come  into 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  9$ 

his  eyes  fast — he  wuz  very  weak  yet ;  and  I  kissed 
them  tears  right  often  his  cheeks,  and  his  Pa  kissed 
him  too.  Thomas  Jefferson  wuz  very  weak,  he  wuz 
a  sick  boy.  And  I  tell  you,  seein'  him  lay  there  so 
white  and  thin  put  us  both  in  mind,  his  Pa  and  me, 
what  Jonesville  and  the  world  would  be  to  us  if  our 
boy  had  slipped  out  of  it. 

We  knew  it  would  be  like  a  playhouse  with  the 
lights  all  put  out,  and  the  best  performer  dumb  and 
silent. 

It  would  be  like  the  world  with  the  sun  darkened, 
and  the  moon  a  refusin'  to  give  its  light.  We  think 
enough  of  Thomas  Jefferson — yes,  indeed. 

Oh,  how  glad  little  Snow  wuz  to  see  us  !  And 
right  here,  while  I  am  a  talkin'  about  her,  I  may  as 
well  tell  sunthin'  about  her,  for  it  has  got  to  be  told. 

Snow  is  a  beautiful  child  ;  she  becomes  her  name 
well,  though  she  wuzn't  named  for  real  snow,  but 
for  her  mother's  sirname.  I  say  it  without  a  mite 
of  partiality.  Some  grandparents  are  so  partial  to 
their  own  offsprings  that  it  is  fairly  sickenin'. 

But  if  this  child  wuz  the  born  granddaughter  of 
the  Zar  of  Russia  or  a  French  surf,  I  should  say 
jest  what  I  do  say,  that  she  is  a  wonderful  child, 
both  in  beauty  and  demeanor. 

She  has  got  big  violet  blue  eyes — not  jest  the  color 
of  her  Pa's,  but  jest  the  expression,  soft  and  bright, 
and  very  deep-lookin'.  Their  gaze  is  so  deep  that 
no  line  has  ever  been  found  to  measure  its  deepness. 

When  you  meet  their  calm,  direct  look  you  see  fur 
into  'em,  and  through  'em  into  another  realm  than 
ourn,  a  more  beautiful  and  peaceful  one,  and  one 
more  riz  up  like,  and  inspired. 


96  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

I  often  used  to  wonder  what  the  child  wuz  a  look- 
in*  for,  her  eyes  seemed  to  be  a  lookin'  so  fur,  fur 
away,  and  always  as  if  in  search  of  sunthin'.  I 
didn't  know  what  it  wuz,  but  I  knew  it  wuzn't  nuth- 
in'  light  and  triflin',  from  her  looks. 

Some  picture  of  holiness  and  beauty,  and  yet  sort 
o'  grand  like,  seemed  before  her  rapt  vision.  But  I 
couldn't  see  what  it  wuz,  nor  Josiah,  nor  her  Pa, 
nor  her  Ma. 

Her  hair  is  a  light  golden  color,  not  yeller,  nor 
yet  orbun,  but  the  color  of  the  pure  pale  shiny  gold 
you  sometimes  see  in  the  western  heavens  when  the 
sky  is  bright  and  glowin'. 

It  looked  luminous,  as  if  a  light  from  some  other 
land  wuz  a  shinin'  on  it  onbeknown  to  us,  and  a 
lightin'  it  up.  You  know  how  the  sun  sometimes, 
when  it  gets  where  we  can't  see  it,  will  shine  out 
onto  some  pink  and  white  cloud,  and  look  as  if  the 
color  wuz  almost  alive — so  her  hair  looked  round  the 
rose  pink  and  white  of  her  pretty  face. 

Her  little  soft  mouth  seemed  always  jest  on  the 
pint  of  speakin'  some  wonderful  words  of  heavenly 
wisdom,  the  look  on  it  wuz  such,  made  in  jest  that 
way. 

Not  that  she  ever  give  utterance  to  any  remark  of 
national  importance  or  anything  of  that  kind. 

But  the  expression  wuz  such  you  seemed  to  sort 
o'  look  for  it ;  and  I  always  knew  she  had  it  in  her 
to  talk  like  a  minister  if  she  only  sot  out  to. 

And  she  did,  in  my  opinion,  make  some  very  wise 
remarks,  very.  Josiah  spoke  to  me  about  'em  sev 
eral  times,  and  said  she  went  ahead  of  any  minister 
or  politician  he  ever  see  in  the  deepness  of  her  mind. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  g^ 

And  I  told  him  he  must  be  very  careful  and  not 
show  that  he  wuz  partial  to  her  on  account  of  rela 
tionship.  And  I  sez  : 

"  Look  at  me  ;  I  never  do.  I  always  look  at  her 
with  perfectly  impartial  and  onprejudiced  eyes,  and 
therefore,  therefore,  Josiah,  I  can  feel  free  to  say 
that  there  never  wuz  such  a  child  on  earth  before, 
and  probable  never  will  be  agin  ;"  and  sez  I,  "  if  I 
wuz  partial  to  her  at  all  I  shouldn't  dast  to  say  that." 

"  Wall,"  sez  he,  "I  dast  to  say  what  I  am  a 
minter  ;  and  I  know  that  for  deep  argument  and 
hard  horse  sense  she  will  go  ahead  of  any  man  on 
earth,  no  matter  where  he  is  or  who  he  is,  President, 
or  Bishop,  or  anything." 

Josiah  Allen  has  excellent  judgment  in  such 
things  ;  I  feel  that  he  has,  and  I  knew  he  wuz  simply 
statin'  the  facts  of  the  case. 

Ever  sence  she  wuz  a  very  young  infant,  little 
Snow  has  made  a  practice  of  settin'  for  hours  and 
hours  at  a  time  a  talkin'  to  somebody  that  wuzn't 
there  ;  or,  to  state  the  truth  plainer  and  truthfuller, 
somebody  that  we  couldn't  see. 

And  she  would  smile  up  at  'em  and  seem  to  enjoy 
their  company  first  rate  before  she  could  talk  even, 
and  when  she  begun  to  talk  she  would  talk  to  'em. 

And  I  used  to  wonder  if  there  wuz  angels  en 
camped  round  about  her  and  neighborin'  with  her  ; 
and  I  thought  to  myself  I  shouldn't  wonder  a  mite 
if  there  wuz. 

Why,  when  she  wuzn't  more  than  several  months 
old  she  would  jest  lay  in  her  little  crib,  with  her 
short  golden  hair  makin'  a  sort  of  a  halo  round  her 
white  forwerd,  and  them  wonderful  heavenly  eyes 


98  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

of  hern  lookin'  up,  up — fur  off — fur  off — and  a  smil- 
in*  at  somebody  or  other,  and  a  reachin'  out  her  lit 
tle  hands  to  somebody,  a  wavin'  'em  a  greetin'  or  a 
good-bye. 

Curius  !  Who  it  wuz  I'd  gin  a  dollar  bill  any  time, 
and  more  too,  to  have  ketched  a  glimpse  of  the 
Form  she  see,  and  hearn  the  whispers  or  the  music 
that  fell  on  her  ears,  too  fine  and  pure  for  our  more 
earthly  senses. 

And  most  probable  I  never  wuz  any  madder  in  my 
hull  life  than  I  wuz  when  old  Dr.  Cork,  who  wuz 
doctorin'  her  Ma  at  that  time,  told  me  ' '  It  wuz  wind. ' ' 

Wind  !  That  is  jest  as  much  as  he  knew.  But  he 
wuz  an  old  man,  and  I  never  laid  it  up  aginst  him,  and 
I  never  said  a  word  back,  only  jest  this  little  triflin' 
remark.  I  sez,  sez  I  : 

"  The  divine  breath  of  Eden  blowin'  down  into 
pure  souls  below,  inspirin'  'em  and  makin*  'em  talk 
with  tongues  and  see  visions  and  dream  dreams,  has 
always  been  called  '  wind  '  in  the  past,  and  I  spoze 
it  will  be  in  the  future,  by  fools." 

This  little  remark  wuz  everything  that  I  said,  and 
for  all  the  world  he  looked  and  acted  real  meachin', 
and  meached  off  with  his  saddle-bags. 

But  now  little  Snow's  golden  hair  wuz  a  shinin' 
out  from  the  piller  of  sickness,  the  big  prophetic 
eyes  wuz  shot  up,  and  the  forwerd  wuz  pale  and 
wan. 

But  when  she  heard  my  voice  she  opened  her  eyes 
and  tried  to  lift  up  her  little  snow  flake  of  a  hand — a 
little  pretty  gesture  of  greetin'  she  always  had — and 
her  smile  wuz  sweet  with  all  the  sweetness  of  the 
love  she  had  for  me. 


'  /        \ 

*~  '    \   \ 

X  /L  /     / 


OLD  DR.  CORK. 


100  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  she  sez,  as  I  took  her  into  my  arms  gently 
and  kissed  her  poor  little  pale  face  time  and  agin, 
she  sez  : 

"  My  own  Grandma  !"  Now  jest  see  the  deep 
ness  and  pure  wisdom  of  that  remark  ! 

Now,  fools  might  say  that  because  I  wuz  her 
father's  stepmother  that  I  wuzn't  her  own  Grand 
mother. 

But  she  see  further  down  ;  she  see  into  the  eternal 
truth  of  things.  She  knew  that  by  all  the  divine 
rights  of  a  pure  unselfish  love  and  the  kinship  of 
congenial  souls,  that  her  Pa  wuz  my  own  boy,  and 
she  wuz  my  own,  heart  of  my  heart,  soul  of  my 
soul. 

Yes,  there  it  wuz,  jest  as  she  had  always  done, 
goin'  right  down  into  any  deep  subject  or  conun 
drum  and  gettin'  the  right  answer  to  it  imegiatly 
and  to  once. 

Curius,  hain't  it  ?  and  she  not  more'n  four  and  a 
half — exceedingly  curius  and  beautiful. 

And  as  I  bent  there  over  her,  she  put  up  her  little 
thin  hand  to  rhy  cheek  and  touched  it  with  a  soft 
caress,  then  brushed  my  hair  back  with  the  lily  soft 
fingers,  and  then  touched  my  cheek  agin  lightly  but 
lovingly. 

It  wuz  as  good  as  a  kiss,  or  several  of  'em,  I  don't 
know  which  I  would  ruther  have,  if  I  had  been  told 
to  chuse  between  'em  at  the  pint  of  the  bayonet — 
some  kisses,  or  these  caressin'  little  fingers  on  my 
face. 

They  wuz  both  sweet  as  sweet  could  be,  and  ten 
der  and  lovin'.  And  she  wuz  "  my  own  sweet  little 
baby,"  as  I  told  her  morn'n  a  dozen  times. 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  101 

I  loved  her  and  she  loved  me  ;  and  when  you  have 
said  that  you  have  said  a  good  deal ;  you  have  said 
about  all  there  is  to  say. 

And  I  felt  that  I  wuz  glad  enough  that  I  could 
take  holt  and  help  take  care  on  her,  and  win  her  back 
to  health  and  strength  agin,  if  it  lay  in  human  power. 

There  wuz  a  tall,  handsome  girl  in  the  room  when 
I  went  in,  and  I  spozed,  from  her  ladylike  mean, 
that  she  wuz  one  of  the  neighbors,  and  she  wuz 
there  a  neighborin'  with  my  daughter  Maggie,  for 
she  seemed  to  be  a  doin'  everything  she  could  to 
help. 

And  I  spozed,  and  kep'  on  a  spozin'  for  more  than 
a  hour,  that  she  wuz  a  neighborin',  till  after  she  went 
out  of  the  room  for  a  few  minutes,  Maggie  said  she 
wuz  a  young  colored  girl,  a  "  quadroon"  she  called 
her,  that  she  had  hired  to  help  take  care  of  Snow. 

Sez  I  in  deep  amaze  : 
4  That  girl  colored  ?" 
'  Yes,"  sez  Maggie. 

'  Wall,"  sez  I,  "  she  is  handsomer  than  any  girl  I 
ever  sot  eyes  on  that  wuz  oncolored." 

4  Yes,"  sez  Maggie,  "  Genny  is  a  beautiful  girl, 
and  jest  as  good  as  she  is  pretty." 

"  Wall,"  sez  I,  "  that  is  sayin'  a  good  deal." 

Maggie  told  me  her  name  was  Genieve,  but  they 
called  her  Genny. 

Wall,  my  daughter  Maggie  had  spells  all  that 
evenin'  and  the  next  day  of  comin'  and  puttin*  her 
arms  round  me,  and  sort  o'  leanin'  up  aginst  me, 
as  if  she  wuz  so  glad  to  lean  up  aginst  sunthin'  that 
wouldn't  break  down  under  her  head.  I  see  she 
had  been  dretful  skairt  and  nervous  about  Thomas 


102  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Jefferson  and  Snow,  and  I  don't  blame  her,  for  they 
wuz  very  sick  children,  very.  And  there  she  (in 
her  own  enjoyment  of  poor  health  too)  had  had  all 
the  care  and  responsibility  on  her  own  self. 

But  I  tell  you  she  seemed  real  contented  when 
her  head  sort  o'  rested  and  lay  up  aginst  my  shoul 
der,  or  breast-bone,  or  arm,  or  wherever  it  happened 
to  lay. 

And  she  sez,  and  kep'  a  sayin',  with  a  voice  that 
come  from  her  heart,  I  knew  : 

"  Oh,  Mother  !  how  glad,  how  thankful  I  am  you 
have  come  !" 

And  Thomas  Jefferson  felt  jest  so,  only  more  so. 
He  would  reach  out  his  weak  white  hand  towards 
me,  and  I  would  take  it  in  both  of  my  warm  strong 
ones,  and  then  he  would  shet  up  his  eyes  and  look  real 
peaceful,  as  if  he  wuz  safe  and  could  rest. 

And  he  sez  more  than  once,  "  Mother,  I  am  goin' 
to  get  well  now  you  have  come. ' ' 

And  I  sez,  cheerful  and  chirk  as  could  be,  "  Of 
course  you  be." 

I'd  say  it,  happy  actin'  as  could  be  on  the  outside, 
but  on  the  inside  my  heart  kep'  a  sinkin'  several 
inches,  for  he  looked  dretful  sick,  dretful. 

Maggie,  the  weak  one  when  they  left  Jonesville, 
wuz  the  strongest  one  now  except  the  young  babe, 
that  wuz  flourishin'  and  as  rosy  as  the  roses  that 
grew  round  the  balcony  where  he  used  to  lay  in  his 
little  crib  durin'  the  hot  days. 

As  soon  as  I  got  rested  enough  I  took  sights  of 
comfort  a  walkin'  round  the  grounds  and  a  smellin' 
the  sweet  breath  of  the  posies  on  every  side  of 
me. 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  103 

And  watchin'  the  gay  birds  a  flutterin'  back  and 
forth  like  big  livin'  blossoms  on  wing. 

And  a  listenin'  to  the  song  of  the  little  rivulet  as  it 
wound  its  way  round  amongst  the  pretty  shrubs  and 
flowers,  as  if  it  wuz  loath  to  leave  so  beautiful  a  place. 

Yes,  I  see  that  our  son  Thomas  Jefferson  had  done 
well  to  make  the  dicker  he  had  made  and  get  this 
place  for  his  own. 

There  wuz  several  little  hills  or  rises  of  ground 
on  the  lawn,  and  you  could  see  from  them  the  roofs 
and  chimneys  of  two  little  villages  a  layin'  on  each 
side  of  Belle  Fanchon,  and  back  of  the  house  some 
distance  riz  up  a  low  mountain,  with  trees  a  growin' 
up  clear  to  the  top.  It  wuz  over  that  mountain  that 
we  used  to  see  the  sun  come  up  (when  we  did  see  it ; 
there  wuzn't  many  of  us  that  see  that  act  of  hisen, 
but  it  paid  us  when  we  did — paid  us  well). 

First,  there  would  be  a  faint  pink  tinge  behind  the 
tall  green  branches  of  the  trees,  then  golden  rays 
would  shoot  up  like  a  flight  of  gold  arrows  out  over 
the  tree-tops,  and  then  pink  and  yellow  and  pinkish 
white  big  fleecy  clouds  of  light  would  roll  up  and 
tinge  the  hull  east,  and  then  the  sun  would  slowly 
come  in  sight,  and  the  world  would  be  lit  up  agin. 

Down  the  western  side  of  Belle  Fanchon  stretched 
the  fair  country  for  a  long  ways — trees  and  green 
fields,  and  anon,  or  oftener,  a  handsome  house,  and 
fur  off  the  silvery  glimpse  of  a  river,  where  I  spoze 
our  little  rivulet  wuz  a  hurryin'  away  to  jine  in  with 
it  and  journey  to  the  sea. 

Yes,  it  wuz  a  fair  seen,  a  fair  seen.  I  never  see  a 
prettier  place  than  Belle  Fanchon,  and  don't  expect 
to  agin. 


IO4 


SAMANTHA    ON  THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


The  way  it  come  to  be  named  Belle  Fanchon  wuz 
as  follows — Maggie  told  me  about  it  the  very  next 
day  after  I  arrived  and  got  there  : 

She  said  the  man  that  used  to  own  it  had  one  lit 
tle  girl,  the  very  apple  of  his  eye,  who  wuz  killed 
by  poison  give  to  her  by  a  slave  woman,  out  of  re- 


THE   SLAVE   WOMAN   WHO    POISONED   THE    CHILD. 


venge  for  her  own  child  bein'  sold  away  from  her. 
But  it  wuz  done  by  the  overseer  ;  her  Pa  wuz  inno 
cent  as  a  babe,  but  his  heart  was  broke  all  the  same. 
The  little  girl's  name  wuz  Fannie — named  after 
the  girlish  wife  he  lost  at  her  birth.  And  he  bein' 
a  foreigner,  "so  they  say,  he  called  her  all  sorts  of 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  105 

pretty  names  in  different  languages,  but  most  of  all 
he  called  her  Belle  Fanchon. 

And  when  the  little  girl  died  in  this  terrible  way, 
though  he  had  a  housefull  of  boys — her  half  brothers 
—yet  they  said  her  Pa's  head  wuz  always  bowed  in 
grief  after  that.  He  jest  shet  himself  up  in  the  big 
old  house,  or  wandered  through  the  shadowy  gar 
dens,  a  dreamin'  of  the  little  one  he  had  loved  and 
lost. 

And  he  give  her  name  to  the  place,  and  clung  to 
it  as  long  as  he  stayed  there  for  her  sake. 

It  is  a  kind  of  a  pretty  name,  I  thought  when  I 
first  heard  it,  and  I  think  so  still. 

The  little  girl  lay  buried  on  a  low  hill  at  one  side  of 
the  grounds,  amongst  some  evergreens,  and  tall  rose 
bushes  clasping  round  the  little  white  cross  over  her 
pretty  head,  and  the  rivulet  made  a  bend  here  and 
lay  round  one  side  of  the  hill  where  the  little  grave 
wuz,  like  a  livin',  lovin'  arm  claspin'  it  round  to 
keep  it  safe.  And  its  song  wuz  dretful  low  and 
sweet  and  sort  o'  sad  too,  as  it  swept  along  here 
through  the  green  shadows  and  then  out  into  the 
sunshine  agin. 

It  wuz  a  place  where  the  little  girl  used  to 
play  and  think  a  sight  of,  so  they  said.  And  it 
wuz  spozed  that  her  Pa  meant  to  be  laid  by  her 
side. 

But  the  fortunes  of  war  swept  him  out  of  the 
beautiful  old  place  and  his  shadowy,  peaceful  gar 
den,  him  and  his  boys  too,  and  they  fill  soldiers' 
graves  in  the  places  where  the  fortune  of  war  took 
'em,  and  her  Pa  couldn't  get  back  to  his  little  girl. 
And  Belle  Fanchon  slept  on  alone  under  the  whis- 


106  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

perin'  pines — slept  on  in  sunlight  and  moonlight,  in 
peace  and  war. 

Sleepin'  jest  as  sweet  at  one  time  as  the  other — 
when  the  roar  of  cannon  swept  along  through  the 
pines  that  wuz  above  her,  as  when  the  birds'  song 
made  music  in  their  rustlin'  tops. 

And  jest  as  calm  and  onafraid  as  if  her  kindred  lay 
by  her  side. 

Though  it  seemed  kinder  pitiful  to  me,  when  I 
looked  at  the  small  white  headstone  and  thought 
how  the  darlin'  of  the  household,  who  had  been  so 
tenderly  loved  and  protected,  should  lay  there  all 
alone  under  dark  skies  and  tempests. 

Nobody  nigh  her,  poor  little  thing  !  and  an  alien 
people  ownin'  the  very  land  where  her  grave  wuz 
made. 

Poor  little  creeter  !  But  that  is  how  the  place 
come  to  be  named. 

Snow1  loved  to  play  there  in  that  corner  when  she 
wuz  well ;  she  seemed  to  like  it  as  well  as  the  little 
one  that  used  to  play  there. 

As  for  Boy,  he  wuz  too  young  to  know  what  he 
did  want  or  what  he  didn't. 

He  used  to  spend  a  good  deal  of  his  time  a  layin' 
in  his  little  cradle  out  in  the  veranda,  and  Genieve 
used  to  set  there  by  him  when  she  wuzn't  needed  in 
the  sick-rooms. 

And  I  declare  for  it  if  it  wuzn't  a  picture  worth 
lookin*  at,  after  comin',  as  I  had,  from  the  bareness 
and  icy  whiteness  of  a  Jonesville  winter  and  the 
prim  humblyness  of  most  of  the  Jonesville  females, 
especially  when  they  wuz  arrayed  in  their  woollen 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  107 

shawls  and  grey  hoods  and  mittens.  To  be  jest 
transplanted  from  scenes  like  them,  and  such  females 
a  shinin'  out  from  a  background  of  icickles  and  bare 
apple-trees  and  snow-drifts. 

And  then  to  shet  your  eyes  in  Jonesville,  as  it 
were",  and  open  'em  on  a  balcony  all  wreathed  round 
with  clamberin'  roses,  and  set  up  aginst  a  back 
ground  of  orange-trees  hangin'  full  of  oranges  and 
orange  blossoms  too,  and  in  front  of  that  balcony  to 
see  a  little  white  crib  with  some  soft  lace  over  the 
top,  and  a  perfectly  beautiful  male  child  a  layin'  on 
it,  and  by  the  side  of  him  a  girl  with  a  slender  figure 
as  graceful  as  any  of  the  tall  white  flowers  that  wuz 
a  swayin'  and  bendin'  beneath  the  balmy  South 
wind,  under  the  warm  blue  sky. 

A  face  of  a  fair  oval,  with  full,  sweet  lips,  and  an 
expression  heavenly  sweet  and  yet  sort  o'  sad  in  it, 
and  in  the  big  dark  eyes. 

They  wuz  as  beautiful  eyes  as  I  ever  had  seen,  and 
I  have  seen  some  dretful  pretty  eyes  in  my  time,  but 
none  more  beautiful  than  these. 

And  there  wuz  a  look  into  'em  as  if  she  had  been 
a  studyin'  on  things  for  some  time  that  wuz  sort  o' 
pitiful  and  kind  o'  strange. 

As  if  she  had  been  a  tryin'  to  get  the  answer  to 
some  momentous  question  and  deep  conundrum, 
and  hadn't  got  it  yet,  and  didn't  seem  to  know  when 
she  would  get  it. 

Dretful  sad  eyes,  and  yet  sort  o'  prophetic  and 
hopeful  eyes  too,  once  in  a  while. 

Them  eyes  fairly  drawed  my  attention  offen  the 
young  babe,  and  I  found  that  I  wuz,  in  spite  of  my- 


108  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

self,  a  pay  in'  more  attention  to  the  nurse  than  I  did 
to  the  child,  though  he  is  a  beautiful  boy,  beautiful 
and  very  forward. 

Wall,  I  entered  into  conversation  with  Genieve, 
and  I  found  that  she  had  lived  in  that  neighborhood 
ever  sence  she  wuz  a  small  child,  her  mother  havin' 
owned  a  sm^ll  place  not  fur  from  Belle  Fanchon. 

Her  mother  had  gone  out  nursin'  the  sick,  and 
Genieve  had  learnt  the  trade  of  her  ;  and  then  she 
had,  poor  child,  plenty  of  time  to  practice  it  in  her 
own  home,  for  her  mother  wuz  sick  a  long  time,  and 
sence  her  death  Genieve  had  gone  out  to  take  care 
of  little  children  and  sick  people,  and  she  still  lived 
on  at  the  little  cottage  where  her  mother  died,  an 
old  colored  woman  and  her  boy  livin'  with  her. 

There  wuz  a  few  acres  of  land  round  the  cottage 
that  had  fruit  trees  and  berry  bushes  and  vines  on  it, 
and  a  good  garden.  And  the  sale  of  the  fruit  and 
berries  and  Genieve's  earnin's  give  'em  all  a  good 
livin'. 

Old  Mammy  and  Cato  the  boy  took  care  of  the 
garden,  with  an  occasional  day's  work  hired,  when 
horses  wuz  required. 

The  fruit  and  vegetables  Cato  carried  to  a  neigh- 
borin'  plantation,  where  they  wuz  carried  away  to 
market  with  the  farmer's  own  big  loads. 

And  there  Genieve  had  lived,  and  lived  still,  a 
goin'  out  deeply  respected,  and  at  seventy-five  cents 
to  a  dollar  a  day. 

I  felt  dretfully  interested  in  her  from  the  very 
first ;  and  though  it  is  hitchin'  several  wagons  be 
fore  the  horses'  heads,  I  may  as  well  tell  sunthin'  of 
her  mother's  history  now  as  to  keep  it  along  till 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  109 

bimeby.  As  long  as  it  has  got  to  be  told  I  may  as 
well  tell  it  now  as  any  time,  as  fur  as  1  know. 

Maggie  told  it  to  me,  and  it  wuz  told  to  her  by  a 
woman  that  knew  what  she  wuz  a  sayin'. 

Genieve's  mother  wuz  a  very  beautiful  quadroon 
•  who  had  been  brought  up  well  by  an  indulgent  and 
good-natured  mistress,  and  a  religious  one  too. 
There  are  as  good  wimmen  in  the  South  as  in  the 
North,  and  men  too.  She  had  educated  Madeline 
and  made  a  sort  of  a  companion  of  her.  She  wuz 
rich,  she  could  do  as  she  wuz  a  mind  to  ;  and  bein' 
a  widder,  she  had  no  one  to  say  to  her  "  Why  do 
ye  do  so  ?" 

So  she  had  brought  up  Madeline  as  a  sort  of  a 
pet,  and  thought  her  eyes  of  her. 

Wall,  this  mistress  had  some  rich  and  high-born 
French  relatives,  and  one  of  'em — a  young  man — 
come  over  here  on  a  visit,  and  fell  in  love  the  first 
thing  with  Madeline,  the  beautiful  quadroon  com 
panion  of  his  aunt. 

And  she  loved  him  so  well  that  in  the  end  her 
/love  wuz  stronger  than  the  principles  of  religion 
that  the  old  lady  had  instilled  into  her,  for  she  ran 
away  with  this  Monseur  De  Chasseny,  and,  forget- 
tin'  its  wickedness,  they  lived  an  ideally  happy  life 
for  years  in  a  shootin'  lodge  of  hisen  in  the  heart  of 
a  fragrant  pine  forest  in  South  Carolina.  They 
lived  this  happy  life  till  his  father  found  him,  and 
by  means  of  family  pride,  and  ambition,  and  the  love 
of  keepin'  his  own  word  and  his  father's  pledges, 
he  got  him  to  leave  his  idyllic  life  and  go  back  to 
the  duties  of  his  rank  and  his  family  in  the  old  coun 
try. 


MADELINE. 


SAMANTPIA    OAT   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  Ill 

He  had  pledged  his  word  to  marry  a  rich  heiress, 
and  great  trouble  to  both  sides  of  their  noble  fami 
lies  wuz  goin'  to  take  place  and  ensue  if  he  did  not 
go,  and  his  own  family  wuz  goin'  to  be  disgraced  and 
dishonored  if  he  did  not  keep  his  word. 

Wall,  men  are  often  led  to  do  things  that  at  first 
they  shrink  from  in  mortal  horror — yes,  and  wim- 
men  are  too. 

De  Chasseny  vowed  that  he  would  not  leave  the 
woman  he  loved  and  the  little  girl  they  both  wor 
shipped,  not  for  any  reason — not  for  father,  nor 
pride,  nor  for  honor. 

But  he  did.  He  left  her,  with  plenty  of  money 
though,  as  it  wuz  spozed,  and  a  broken  heart,  a 
ruined  life,  and  a  hoard  of  bitter-sweet  and  agoniz- 
in'  memories  to  haunt  her  for  the  rest  of  her  days. 

She  wuz  a  lovin'-hearted  woman  bound  up  in  the 
man  she  loved — the  man  she  had  forsaken  honor  and 
peace  of  mind  for. 

There  wuz  no  marriage — there  could  be  none  be 
tween  a  white  man  and  a  woman  with  any  colored 
blood  in  her  veins. 

So  in  the  eyes  of  the  world  and  the  law  he  wuz 
not  guilty  when  he  left  her  and  married  a  pure 
young  girl. 

Whether  he  wuz  found  guilty  at  that  other  bar 
where  the  naked  souls  of  men  and  wimmen  stand  to 
be  judged,  I  don't  spoze  his  rich  and  titled  friends 
ever  thought  to  ask  themselves. 

Anyway,  he  left  Madeline  and  little  Genieve — for 
so  he  had  named  the  child  after  an  old  friend  of 
his — he  left  them  and  sailed  off  for  France  and  the 
new  life  to  be  lived  out  in  the  eyes  of  the  world, 


112  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

where  Happiness  and  gratified  Ambition  seemed  to 
carry  the  torches  to  light  him  on  his  way. 

Whether  there  wuz  any  other  attendants  who 
waited  on  him,  a  holdin'  up  dim-burnin'  lamps  to 
light  him  as  he  walked  down  Memory's  aisles,  I 
don't  know,  but  I  should  dare  presume  to  say  there 
wuz. 

I  should  presume  to  say  that  in  the  still  night 
hours,  when  the  palace  lights  burned  low  and  the 
garlands  and  the  feast  robes  put  away  for  a  spell, 
and  his  fair  young  wife  wuz  sleepin'  peacefully  at 
his  side — I  should  presume  to  say  that  these  black- 
robed  attendants,  that  are  used  to  lightin'  folks  down 
dark  pathways,  led  him  back  to  love — first,  true, 
sweet  love — and  Madeline,  and  that  under  their 
cold,  onsympathizin'  eyes  he  stayed  there  for  some 
time. 

As  for  Madeline,  she  wuz  stunned  and  almost 
senseless  by  the  blow,  and  wuz  for  a  long  time. 
Then  she  had  a  long  sickness,  and  when  she  come  to 
herself  she  seemed  to  be  ponderin'  some  deep 
thought  all  to  herself. 

The  nurse  who  was  watchin'  with  her  testified 
that  she  dropped  to  sleep  one  mornin'  before  day 
light,  and  when  she  woke  up  her  patient  wuz  gone, 
and  the  child. 

She  had  some  money  that  her  old  mistress  had 
give  her  from  time  to  time,  and  that  she  had  never 
had  to  use  ;  that  wuz  taken,  with  some  valuable 
jewelry  too  that  that  kind  old  friend  had  give  her — 
for  she  had  loved  to  set  off  her  favorite's  dark 
beauty  with  the  light  of  precious  stones — all  these 
wuz  taken  ;  but  every  article  that  Monseur  De 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  113 

Chasseny  had  give  her  wuz  left.  And  all  the  money 
that  he  left  for  her  not  a  penny  wuz  ever  called  for. 
She  disappeared  as  if  she  had  never  been  ;  lawyers 
and  detectives,  hired,  it  wuz  spozed,  by  De  Chas 
seny,  could  find  no  trace  of  her. 

There  wuz  a  good,  fatherly  old  missionary  in  the 
little  settlement  near  by  who  might  perhaps  have 
given  some  information  if  he  had  wanted  to  ;  but 
they  never  thought  of  askin'  him,  and  they  would 
have  been  no  wiser  if  they  had,  most  probable. 

But  about  this  time  a  woman  in  deep  mournin', 
with  a  beautiful  young  child,  come  to  the  little  ham 
let  near  Belle  Fanchon. 

She  said  she  wuz  a  colored  woman,  though  no  one 
would  have  believed  it. 

The  good  priest  in  charge  of  the  Mission — Father 
Gasperin — he  seemed  to  know  sunthin'  about  her  ; 
he  had  a  brother  who  wuz  a  priest  in  South  Caro 
lina.  He  got  her  employment  as  a  nurse  after  her 
health  improved  a  little. 

She  bought  a  little  cottage  and  lived  greatly  re 
spected  by  all  classes,  black  and  white,  and  nursed 
'em  both  to  the  best  of  her  abilities — some  for  nuth- 
in'  and  some  at  about  a  dollar  a  day. 

But  her  earnest  sympathies,  her  heartfelt  affection 
wuz  with  the  black  race.  She  worked  for  their 
good  and  advancement  in  every  way  with  a  zeal 
that  looked  almost  as  if  she  wuz  try  in'  to  atone  for 
some  awful  mistake  in  the  past — as  if  she  wuz  try  in' 
to  earn  forgiveness  for  forsakin'  her  mother's  race 
for  the  white  people,  who  wuz  always  faithless  to 
her  race,  only  when  selfishness  guided  them — who 
would  take  the  service  of  their  whole  life  and 


H4  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

strength,  as  if  it  belonged  to  'em  ;  who  would  take 
them  up  as  a  plaything  to  divert  an  hour's  leisure, 
and  then  throw  the  worthless  thing  down  agin. 

Her  whole  heart  wuz  bent  upon  the  good  of  her 
mother's  people.  She  worked  constantly  for  their 
advancement  and  regeneration.  She  bore  their  in 
tolerable  burdens  for  'em,  she  agonized  under  their 
unexampled  wrongs.  She  exhorted  'em  to  become 
Christians,  to  study,  to  learn  to  guide  themselves 
aright ;  she  besought  'em  to  elevate  themselves  by 
all  means  in  their  power. 

She  became  a  very  earnest  Christian  ;  she  went 
about  doin'  good  ;  she  studied  her  Bible  much. 
The  Book  that  in  her  bright  days  of  happiness  she 
had  slighted  became  to  her  now  the  lamp  of  her 
life. 

Most  of  all  did  this  heart-broken  soul,  who  had 
bid  good-bye  to  all  earthly  happiness,  love  the 
weird  prophecies  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist. 

She  loved  to  read  of  the  Beloved  City,  and  the 
sights  that  he  saw,  to  her  become  realities.  She 
said  she  saw  visions  in  the  night  as  she  looked  up 
from  dyin'  faces  into  the  high  heavens — she  foretold 
events.  Her  prophetic  sayin's  became  almost  as 
inspired  revelations  to  them  about  her. 

She  said  she  heard  voices  talkin'  to  her  out  of  the 
skies  and  the  darkness,  and  I  don't  know  but  she 
did — I  don't  feel  like  disputin'  it  either  way  ;  besides, 
I  wuzn't  there. 

But  as  I  wuz  a  sayin',  from  what  I  wuz  told,  the 
little  girl,  Genieve,  inheritin'  as  she  drd  her  moth 
er's  imaginative  nature  and  her  father's  bright  mind 
and  wit,  and  contemplatin'  her  mother's  daily  life  of 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  115 

duty  and  self-sacrifice,  and  bein'  brought  up  as  she 
wuz  under  the  very  eaves  of  the  New  Jerusalem  her 
mother  wuz  always  readin'  about,  it  is  no  wonder 
that  she  grew  up  like  a  posy — that  while  its  roots 
are  in  the  earth  its  tall  flowers  open  and  wave  in  the 
air  of  Eden. 

The  other  world,  the  land  unseen  but  near,  be 
came  more  of  a  reality  to  her  than  this.  '  The 
voices"  her  mother  said  she  heard  was  to  her  real 
and  true  as  the  voice  of  good  Father  Gasperin,  who 
preached  in  the  little  chapel  every  month. 

The  future  of  her  mother's  race  wuz  to  her  plain 
and  distinct,  lit  with  light  fallin'  from  the  new 
heavens  on  the  new  earth  that  she  felt  awaited  her 
people. 

The  inspired  prophecies  to  her  pointed  to  their 
redemption  and  the  upbuilding  of  a  New  Republic, 
where  this  warm-hearted,  emotional,  beauty-lovin' 
race  should  come  to  their  own,  and,  civilized  and 
enlightened,  become  a  great  people,  a  nation  truly 
brought  out  of  great  tribulations. 

She  grew  up  unlike  any  other  girl,  more  beautiful 
than  any  other — so  said  every  one  who  saw  her.  A 
mind  different  from  any  other— impractical  perhaps, 
but  prophetic,  impassioned,  delicate,  sorrowful,  in 
spired. 

When  she  became  old  enough  she  followed  her 
mother's  callin'  of  nursin'  the  sick,  and  it  seemed 
indeed  as  if  her  slight  hands  held  the  gift  of  healin' 
in  them,  so  successful  wuz  she. 

Guarded  by  her  mother  as  daintily  as  if  she  wuz 
the  daughter  of  a  queen,  she  grew  up  to  womanhood 
as  innocent  as  Eve  wuz  when  the  garden  wuz  new. 


n6  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

She  turned  away  almost  in  disgust  from  the  atten 
tion  of  young  men,  white  or  colored. 

But  about  a  year  before  I  went  to  Belle  Fanchon 
she  had  met  her  king.  And  to  her,  truly,  Victor 
wuz  a  crowned  monarch.  And  the  love  that  sprung 
up  in  both  their  hearts  the  moment  they  looked  in 
each  other's  eyes  wuz  as  high  and  pure  and  ideal  an 
attachment  as  wuz  ever  felt  by  man  or  woman. 

Victor  wuz  the  son  of  a  white  man  and  a  colored 
woman,  but  he  showed  the  trace  of  his  mother's 
ancestry  as  little  as  did  Genieve. 

His  mother  wuz  a  handsome  mulatto  woman,  the 
nurse  and  constant  attendant  of  the  wife  of  Col. 
Seybert,  whose  handsome  place,  Seybert  Court, 
could  jest  be  seen  from  the  veranda  of  Belle  Fan 
chon. 

Col.  Seybert  owned  this  plantation,  but  he  had 
been  abroad  with  his  family  many  years,  and  in  the 
States  further  South,  where  he  also  owned  property. 

He  had  come  back  to  Seybert  Court  only  a  few 
months  before  Thomas  J.  bought  Belle  Fanchon. 

Mrs.  Seybert  wuz  a  good  woman,  and  in  a  long 
illness  she  had  soon  after  her  marriage  she  had  been 
nursed  so  faithfully  by  Phyllis,  Victor's  mother,  that 
she  had  become  greatly  attached  to  her  ;  and  Phyllis 
and  her  only  child,  Victor,  had  attended  the  Colonel 
and  his  wife  in  all  their  wanderings.  Indeed,  Mrs. 
Seybert  often  said  and  felt,  Heaven  knows,  that  she 
could  not  live  if  Phyllis  left  her. 

And  Victor  wuz  his  mother's  idol,  and  to  be  near 
her  and  give  her  comfort  wuz  one  of  the  reasons 
why  he  endured  his  hard  life  with  Col.  Seybert. 

For  his  master  wuz  not  a  good  man.     He  wuz 


SAMANTHA    OAT    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  117 

hard,  haughty,  implacable.  He  wuz  attached  to 
Victor  much  as  a  manufacturer  would  be  to  an  extra 
good  piece  of  machinery  by  which  his  gains  wuz 
enhanced. 

Victor  wuz  an  exceptionally  good  servant  ;  he 
watched  over  his  employer's  interests,  he  wuz  hon 
est  amongst  a  retinue  of  dishonest  ones.  He  saved 
his  employer's  money  when  many  of  his  feller-ser 
vants  seemed  to  love  to  throw  it  away.  His  keen 
intelligence  and  native  loyalty  and  honesty  found 
many  ways  of  advancin'  his  master's  interests,  and 
he  helped  him  in  so  many  ways  that  Col.  Seybert 
had  come  to  consider  his  services  invaluable  to  him. 

Still,  and  perhaps  he  thought  it  wuz  the  best  way 
to  make  Victor  feel  his  place  and  not  consider  him 
self  of  more  consequence  than  he  wuz — and  it  wuzn't 
in  the  nater  of  Col.  Seybert  to  be  anything  but 
mean,  mean  as  pusley,  and  meaner — 

Anyway,  he  treated  Victor  with  extreme  inso 
lence,  and  cruelty,  and  brutality.  Mebby  he  thought 
that  if  he  didn't  "  hold  the  lines  tight,"  as  he  called 
it,  Victor  might  make  disagreeable  demands  upon 
his  purse,  or  his  time,  or  in  some  way  seek  for  a 
just  recognition  of  his  services. 

Col.  Seybert,  too,  drank  heavily,  which  might 
perhaps  be  some  excuse  for  his  brutality,  but  made 
it  no  easier  for  Victor  to  endure. 

At  such  times  Col.  Seybert  wuz  wont  to  address 
Victor  as  "  his  noble  brother,"  and  order  his  "  noble 
brother"  to  take  off  his  boots,  or  put  them  on,  or 
carry  him  upstairs,  or  perform  still  more  menial  ser 
vices  for  him,  he  swearin'  at  him  roundly  all  the 
time,  and  mixin'  his  oaths  with  whatever  vile  and 


Il8  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

contemptible  epithets  he  could  think  of — and  he 
could  think  of  a  good  many. 

And  perhaps  it  did  not  make  it  easier  for  Victor 
to  obey  him  that  he  told  the  truth  in  his  drunken 
babble.  Victor  wuz  his  brother,  and  they  two  wuz 
the  only  descendants  of  the  gallant  old  Gen.  Sey- 
bert,  the  handsomest,  the  wittiest,  the  bravest  and 
the  most  courtly  man  of  his  day. 

He  went  down  to  the  grave  the  owner  of  many 
hundred  slaves,  the  husband  of  a  fair  young  bride, 
and  the  father  of  two  children,  one  the  only  son  of 
his  pretty  Northern  bride,  the  other  the  son  of  his 
mother's  maid. 

And  what  made  matters  still  more  complicated 
and  hard  to  understand,  to  this  unowned,  despised 
son  had  descended  all  the  bright  wit  and  philosophi 
cal  mind,  and  suave,  gentle,  courteous  manners  of 
this  fine  gentleman  Gen.  Seybert  ;  and  to  the  son 
and  legal  heir  of  all  his  wealth,  not  a  bit  of  his 
father's  sense,  bright  mind,  and  good  manners. 

One  of  his  maternal  great-uncles  had  been  a  rich, 
new-made  man  of  low  tastes  and  swaggerin',  ag 
gressive  manners.  It  wuz  a  sad  thing  that  these 
inherited  traits  and  tastes  should  just  bound  over 
one  gentlemanly  generation  and  swoop  down  upon 
the  downy,  lace-festooned  cradle  of  this  only  son  and 
heir — but  they  did. 

All  the  nobility  of  mind,  the  grace,  the  kindly 
consideration  for  others,  and  the  manly  beauty,  all 
fell  as  a  dower  to  the  little  lonely  baby  smuggled 
away  like  an  accursed  thing,  in  his  maternal  grand 
mother's  little  whitewashed  cabin. 

To  the  young  heir,  Reginald,  fell  some  hundreds 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  119 

of  thousands  of  dollars,  two  or  three  plantations, 
and  an  honored  name  and  place  in  society,  the  tastes 
of  a  pot-boy,  the  mind  and  habits  of  a  clown,  the 
swaggerin',  boastin'  cruelty  of  an  American  Nero. 

Col.  Seybert  drove  and  swore,  and  threatened  his 
negroes  as  his  great- uncle  Wiggins  drove  the  white 
operatives  in  his  big  Northern  factory,  kept  them  at 
starvation  wages,  and  piled  up  his  money-bags  over 
the  prostrate  forms  of  gaunt,  overworked  men  and 
women,  and  old  young  children,  who  earned  his 
money  out  of  their  own  hopeless  youth  ;  with  one 
hand  dropped  gold  into  his  coffers,  and  with  the 
other  dug  shallow  graves  that  they  filled  too  soon. 

Northern  cupidity  and  avarice,  Southern  avarice 
and  cupidity,  equally  ugly  in  God's  sight,  so  we 
believe. 

It  wuz  indeed  strange  that  to  Reginald  should 
descend  all  the  great-uncle's  traits  and  none  of  his 
father's,  only  the  passionate  impulses  that  marred 
an  otherwise  almost  faultless  character ;  and  to 
Victor,  the  cast-off,  ignored  son,  should  descend  all 
the  courtly  graces  inherited  from  a  long  line  of  illus 
trious  ancestors,  and  all  the  brilliant  qualities  of 
mind  too  that  made  old  Gen.  Seybert's  name  re 
spected  and  admired  wherever  known. 

His  sin  in  regard  to  Victor's  mother  wuz  a  sm 
directly  traceable  to  the  influence  of  Slavery.  As 
the  deeds  a  man  commits  when  in  liquor  can  be 
followed  back  to  that  source,  so  could  this  cryin'  sin 
be  traced  directly  back  to  the  Slave  regime. 

It  wuz  but  one  berry  off  of  the  poisonous  Upas- 
tree  of  Slavery  that  gloomily  shadowed  the  beauti 
ful  South  land,  and  darkens  it  yet,  Heaven  knows. 


120  SAMAKTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

The  top  of  this  tree  may  have  been  lowered  a  lit 
tle  by  the  burnin'  fires  of  war,  but  the  deep  roots 
remain  ;  and  as  time  and  a  false  sense  of  security 
relaxes  the  watch  kept  over  it,  the  poison  shoots 
spring  up  and  the  land  is  plagued  by  its  thorny 
branches,  its  impassable,  thick  undergrowth. 

The  tree  may  be  felled  to  the  earth  before  it 
springs  up  agin  with  a  more  dangerous,  vigorous 
growth  and  destroys  the  hull  nation. 

So  Cousin  John  Richard  said  ;  but  I  don't  know 
whether  it  will  or  not,  and  Josiah  don't. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin',  and  to  resoom  and  con 
tinue  on. 

Reginald  Seybert  wuz  tolerably  good-lookin'  in  an 
aggressive,  florid  style,  and  he  had  plenty  of  bold 
ness  and  wealth.  And  some,  or  all  of  these  quali 
ties,  made  it  possible  for  him  to  marry  a  good  wom 
an  of  an  impoverished  but  aristocratic  Southern 
family. 

The  marriage  wuz  a  sudden  one — he  did  not  give 
the  young  lady  time  to  change  her  mind.  He  met 
her  at  a  fashionable  watering-place  where  they  wuz 
both  strangers,  and,  as  I  said,  he  give  her  no  time 
to  repent  her  choice. 

After  the  honeymoon  trip  and  her  husband 
brought  her  to  his  home,  she  heard  many  strange 
things  she  had  been  kept  in  ignorance  of — amongst 
them  this  pitiful  story  of  Victor  and  his  mother — 
and  being  what  she  wuz,  a  good,  tender-hearted 
woman,  with  high  ideals  and  pure  and  charitable  im 
pulses — perhaps  it  wuz  this  that  made  her  so  good 
to  Victor's  mother,  so  thoughtful  and  considerate 
of  him,  and  that  made  her,  during  her  husband's 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  121 

long  absences  on  his  wild  sprees,  give  him  every 
benefit  of  teachers  and  opportunity  to  study. 

And  Victor  almost  worshipped  his  gentle  mis 
tress,  his  unhappy  mistress,  for  it  could  not  be 
otherwise,  that  after  she  knew  him  well,  her  feelin's 
for  her  husband  could  hardly  have  been  stronger 
than  pity.  Perhaps  after  a  time  aversion  and  dis 
gust  crept  in,  and  as  she  had  no  children  or  brothers 
of  her  own,  she  grew  strongly  attached  to  Phyllis 
and  to  Victor,  the  only  relative — for  so  this  strange 
woman  called  him  in  her  thoughts — the  only  relative 
near  her  who  wuz  kind  to  her. 

For  as  her  beauty  faded,  worn  away  by  the  an 
guished,  feverish  beatings  of  a  sad  heart,  Col.  Sey- 
bert  grew  cruel  and  brutal  to  her  also.  It  was  not 
in  his  nature  to  be  kind  to  anything,  or  to  value  any 
thing  that  did  not  minister  to  his  selfishness.  He 
lived  only  for  the  gratification  of  his  appetites  and 
his  ambition. 

He  prized  Victor,  as  we  said,  as  a  manufacturer 
would  prize  an  extra  good  loom,  on  which  valuable 
cloth  might  be  woven,  and  which  would  bear  any 
amount  of  extra  pressure  on  occasion. 

Victor's  loyal  affection  and  gratitude  to  his  mis 
tress,  and  his  determination  to  shield  her  all  he  could 
from  her  husband's  brutality,  and  his  love  for  his 
mother,  made  him  conceal  from  them  all  he  could 
the  fiendish  cruelties  his  master  sometimes  inflicted 
upon  him. 

Old  Gen.  Seybert  had  been  noted  all  his  brilliant 
life  for  his  tender  consideration  and  thoughtful 
courtesy  towards  women,  and  his  desire  to  shield 
them  from  all  possible  annoyance. 


122 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


His  son  Victor  had  this  trait  also,  added  to  the 
warm-hearted  gratitude  of  his  mother's  race  towards 
one  who  befriends  them. 

Many  a  time  did  he  carry  a  scarred  back  and  a 


COLONEL    SEYBERT. 

smilin'  face  into  the  presence  of  his  mother  and 
mistress. 

Many  a  time  did  he  voluntarily  absent  himself 
from  them  for  days,  or  until  the  bruises  had  healed 
that  some  too  skilfully  aimed  missile  had  inflicted 
upon  him. 

But  soon  after  he  came  to  Belle   Fanchon,  and 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  123 

after  he  had  met  and  loved  Genieve,  Col.  Seybert's 
treatment  became  so  unendurable  that  Victor  begged 
of  his  mother  to  go  away  with  him,  tellin'  her  he 
could  now  earn  a  good  livin'  for  her  ;  and  he  had 
dreams,  hardly  formulated  to  himself  then,  of  the 
future  of  his  mother's  race.  They  lay  in  his  heart 
as  seeds  lie  in  the  dark  ground,  waitin'  for  the  time 
to  spring  up — they  were  germinatin',  waitin'  for  the 
dawn  to  waken  them  to  rich  luxuriance. 

But  his  mother  felt  that  she  could  not  leave  her 
kind  mistress  in  her  lonely  troubles,  and  she  entreat 
ed  him  prayerfully  that  he  would  not  leave  her, 
"  and  she  could  not  go  away  and  leave  Miss  Alice 
with  that  tyrant  and  murderer" — for  so  she  called 
Col.  Seybert  in  her  wrath. 

And  his  mistress's  anguished  entreaties  that  he 
would  not  leave  her,  for  she  felt  that  she  had  but  a 
little  time  to  live,  her  health  was  failin'  all  the  time — 

"  And  the  blessed  lamb  would  die  without  us  any 
way,"  his  mother  would  say  to  Victor — 

And  all  these  arguments  added  to  his  loyal  desire 
to  befriend  this  gentle  mistress  who  had  educated 
him  and  done  for  him  all  she  could  have  done  for 
son  or  brother — all  these  arguments  caused  him  to 
stay  on. 

But  after  comin'  to  Seybert  Court,  Victor  had 
given  Col.  Seybert  another  opportunity  to  empty 
the  vials  of  his  wrath  upon  him. 

Victor  had  a  bosom  friend,  a  young  man  in  about 
the  same  circumstances  that  he  wuz — only  this  friend, 
Felix  Ward,  had  lived  with  a  kind  master  and  mis 
tress  durin'  his  childhood  and  early  youth. 

His  father  and  mother  wuz  both  dead  ;  his  father 


124  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

bein'  killed  in  the  war,  and  his  mother  soon  follow- 
in'  him. 

He  wuz  an  intelligent  negro,  with  no  white  blood 
in  his  veins,  so  far  as  he  knew.  Felix,  for  so  he  had 
been  named  when  he  looked  like  a  tiny  black  doll, 
by  his  young  mistress,  to  whom  the  world  looked 
so  happy  and  prosperous  that  everything  assumed  a 
roseate  hue  to  her. 

Her  faithful  servant,  his  mother,  brought  the  lit 
tle  image  in  ebony  to  her  room  to  show  it  to  her,  jest 
after  she  had  read  the  letter  from  the  man  she  loved 
askin'  her  to  be  his  wife. 

She  wuz  happy  ;  the  world  looked  bright  and 
prosperous  to  her.  She  gave  the  little  pickaninny 
this  name  for  a  good  omen — Felix  :  happy,  prosper 
ous. 

But  alas  !  though  the  pretty  young  mistress  pros 
pered  well  in  her  love  and  her  life  while  it  lasted, 
the  poor  little  baby  she  had  named  had  better  have 
been  called  Infelix,  so  infelicitous  had  been  his  life — 
or,  that  is,  the  latter  part  of  it. 

For  awhile,  while  he  wuz  quite  young,  it  seemed 
as  if  his  name  would  stand  him  in  good  stead  and 
bring  good  fortune  with  it.  For  being  owned  till 
her  death  by  this  same  gentle  young  mistress  and 
her  husband,  both,  like  so  many  Southerners,  so 
much  better  than  the  system  they  represented,  they 
helped  him,  seein'  his  brightness  and  intelligence,  to 
an  education,  and  afterwards  through  their  influence 
he  wuz  placed  at  Hampton  School,  and  at  their 
death,  which  occurred  very  suddenly  in  a  scourge 
of  yeller  fever,  they  left  him  a  little  money. 

At  Hampton  School  he  got  a  good  education,  and 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  125 

learned  the  carpenter's  trade.  And  it  wuz  at  Seybert 
Court,  which  wuz  bein'  repaired,  and  he  wuz  one  of 
the  workmen,  that  Victor  and  he  become  such  close 
friends. 

Victor  had  come  on  to  superintend  some  of  the 
work  that  wuz  bein'  done  there  to  fit  the  place  for 
the  reception  of  his  master's  family,  who  wuz  at 
that  time  in  New  Orleans.  And  these  two  young 
men  wuz  together  several  months  and  become  close 
friends.  They  wuz  related  on  their  mother's  side, 
and  they  wuz  joined  together  in  that  closer,  subtler 
relationship  of  kindred  tastes,  feelings,  and  aspira 
tions. 

He  finally  bought  a  little  carpenter's  shop  and 
settled  down  to  work  at  his  trade  in  the  little  ham 
let  of  Eden  Centre,  where  he  soon  after  married  a 
pretty  mulatto  girl,  the  particular  friend  of  Ge- 
nieve. 

With  the  remains  of  the  money  his  mistress  had  left 
him  he  bought  a  little  cottage — or,  that  is,  this 
money  partly  paid  for  it,  and  he  thought  that  with 
his  good  health  and  good  trade  he  could  soon  finish 
up  the  payment  and  own  his  own  home. 

It  wuz  a  pretty  cottage,  but  fallen  into  disorder 
and  ruinous  looks,  through  poor  tenants  ;  but  his 
skilful  hands  and  his  labor  of  love  soon  made  it  over 
into  a  perfect  gem  of  a  cottage. 

And  there  he  and  his  pretty  young  wife  Hester 
had  spent  two  most  happy  years,  when  Col.  Seybert 
come  into  the  neighborhood  to  live,  and  his  roamin* 
fancy  soon  singled  out  Hester  for  a  victim. 

She  had  been  lady's  maid  in  a  wealthy,  refined 
family,  and  her  ladylike  manners  and  pretty  ways 


126  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

wuz  as  attractive  as  her  face.  She  loved  her  hus 
band,  and  wuz  constant  to  him  with  all  the  fidelity 
of  a  lovin'  woman's  heart,  and  Col.  Seybert  she  de 
tested  with  all  the  force  of  her  nature  ;  but  CoL 
Seybert  wuz  not  one  to  give  way  to  such  a  slight 
obstacle  as  a  lawful  husband. 

He  thought  if  Felix  wuz  out  of  the  way  the  course 
of  his  untrue  love  would  run  comparatively  smooth. 
Why,  it  seemed  to  him  to  be  the  height  of  absurdity 
that  a  "  nigger"  should  stand  in  the  way  of  his 
wishes. 

Why,  it  wuz  aginst  all  the  traditions  of  his  race 
and  the  entire  Southern  Aristocracy  that  so  slight 
things  as  a  husband's  honor  and  wife's  loyalty  should 
dare  oppose  the  lawless  passions  of  a  white  gentle 
man. 

Of  course,  so  reasoned  Col.  Seybert ;  the  war  had 
made  a  difference  in  terms  and  enactments,  but  that 
wuz  about  all.  The  white  race  wuz  still  uncon- 
quered  in  their  passion  and  their  arrogance,  and  the 
black  race  wuz  still  under  their  feet ;  he  could  testify 
to  the  truth  of  this  by  his  own  lawless  life  full  of 
deeds  of  unbridled  license  and  cruelty. 

So,  wantin'  Victor  out  of  the  way,  and  bein'  ex 
ceedingly  wroth  aginst  him,  it  wuz  easy  to  persuade 
certain  ignorant  poor  whites,  and  the  dispensers  of 
what  they  called  law,  that  Felix  wuz  altogether  too 
successful  for  a  nigger. 

He  owned  a  horse,  too,  an  almost  capital  offence 
in  some  parts  of  the  South. 

He  had  worked  overhours  to  buy  this  pet  animal 
for  Hester's  use  as  well  as  his  own.  Many  a  hun 
dred  hard  hours'  labor,  when  he  wuz  already  tired 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  127 

out,  had  he  given  for  the  purchase  money  of  this  lit 
tle  animal. 

It  wuz  a  pretty,  cream-colored  creeter,  so  gentle 
that  it  would  come  up  to  the  palin'  and  eat  little  bits 
that  Hester  would  carry  out  to  it  after  every  meal, 
with  little  Ned  toddlin'  along  by  her  side  ;  and  it 
wuz  one  of  the  baby  boy's  choicest  rewards  for  good 
behavior  to  be  lifted  up  by  the  side  of  the  kind- 
faced  creeter  and  pat  the  glossy  skin  with  his  little 
fat  hands. 

This  horse  seemed  to  Felix  and  Hester  to  be  en 
dowed  with  an  almost  human  intelligence,  and  come 
next  to  little  Ned,  their  only  child,  in  their  hearts. 

And  Hester  had  herself  taken  in  work  and  helped 
to  pay  for  the  plain  buggy  in  which  she  rode  out 
with  her  boy,  and  carried  Felix  to  and  from  his 
work  when  he  wuz  employed  some  distance  from 
his  home. 

But  no  matter  how  honestly  he  had  earned  this 
added  comfort,  no  matter  how  hard  they  had  both 
worked  for  it  and  how  they  enjoyed  it — 

"  It  wuz  puttin*  on  too  much  damned  style  for  a 
nigger  !" 

This  wuz  Col.  Seybert's  decree,  echoed  by  many 
a  low,  brutal,  envious  mind  about  him,  encased  in 
black  and  white  bodies. 

And  one  mornin',  when  Hester  went  out  in  the 
bright  May  sunshine  to  carry  Posy  its  mornin'  bit 
of  food  from  the  breakfast-table,  with  little  Ned  fol- 
lowin'  behind  with  his  bit  of  sugar  for  it,  the  pretty 
creeter  had  jest  enough  strength  to  drag  itself  up 
to  its  mistress  and  fix  its  pitiful  eyes  on  her  in  help 
less  appeal,  and  dropped  dead  at  her  feet. 


128 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


They  found  the  remains  of  a  poisoned  cake  in  the 
pasture,  and  on  the  fence  wuz  pinned  a  placard  bear- 
in'  the  inscription — 


LOW,  BRUTAL,  ENVIOUS   MIND. 


"  No  damned  niggers  can  ride  wile  wit  foaks  wak 
afut— so  good  buy  an*  take  warnin'." 

They  did  not  try  to  keep  a  horse  after  this.  Felix 
took  his  long  mornin'  and  evenin'  walks  with  a  sore, 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  129 

indignant  heart  that  dragged  down  his  tired  limbs 
still  more. 

And  Hester  wiped  away  the  tears  of  little  Ned, 
and  tried  to  explain  to  his  bewildered  mind  why  his 
pretty  favorite  could  not  come  up  to  him  when  he 
called  it  so  long  and  patiently,  holdin'  out  the  tempt- 
in'  lump  of  sugar  that  had  always  hastened  its  fleet 
step. 

And  she  wiped  away  her  own  tears,  and  tried  to 
find  poor  comfort  in  the  thought  that  so  many  wuz 
worse  off  than  herself. 

She  had  Felix  and  Ned  left,  and  her  pretty 
home. 

But  in  the  little  black  settlement  of  Cedar  Hill, 
not  fur  away,  where  her  mother's  relations  lived, 
destitution  wuz  reignin'. 

For  on  one  pretext  or  another  their  crops  that 
they  worked  so  hard  for  wuz  taken  from  them.  The 
most  infamous  laws  wuz  made  whereby  the  white 
man  could  take  the  black  man's  earnings. 

The  negro  had  the  name  of  bein'  a  freedman,  but 
in  reality  he  wuz  a  worse  slave  than  ever,  for  in  the 
old  times  he  had  but  one  master  who  did  in  most 
cases  take  tolerable  care  of  him,  for  selfishness'  sake, 
if  no  other,  and  protected  him  from  the  selfishness  of 
other  people. 

But  now  every  one  who  could  take  advantage  of 
his  ignorance  of  law  did  so,  and  on  one  pretext  or 
another  robbed  him  of  his  hard-earned  savings. 

And  it  wuz  not  considered  lawful  and  right  by 
these  higher  powers  for  a  nigger  to  get  much  prop 
erty.  It  wuz  looked  upon  as  an  insult  to  the  supe 
rior  race  about  him  who  had  nuthin',  and  it  wuz 


130  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

considered  dangerous  to  the  old-established  law  of 
Might  over  Right. 

It  wuz  a  dangerous  precedent,  and  not  to  be  con 
doned.  So  it  wuz  nuthin'  oncommon  if  a  colored 
man  succeeded  by  hard  work  and  economy  in  get- 
tin'  a  better  house,  and  had  good  crops  and  stock, 
for  a  band  of  masked  men  to  surround  the  house 
at  midnight  and  order  its  inhabitants,  on  pain  of 
death,  to  leave  it  all  and  flee  out  of  the  country  be 
fore  daylight. 

And  if  they  appealed  to  the  law,  it  wuz  a  slender 
reed  indeed  to  lean  upon,  and  would  break  under 
the  slightest  pressure. 

Indeed,  what  good  could  law  do,  what  would  de 
crees  and  enactments  avail  in  the  face  of  this  terri 
ble  armed  power,  secret  but  invincible,  that  closed 
round  this  helpless  race  like  the  waves  of  the 
treacherous  whirlpool  about  a  twig  that  wuz  cast 
into  its  seethin'  waters  ? 

The  reign  of  Terrorism,  of  Lynch  Law,  of  Might 
aginst  Right  wuz  rampant,  and  if  they  wanted  to 
save  even  their  poor  hunted  bodies  they  had  learned 
to  submit. 

So,  poor  old  men  and  wimmen  would  rise  up  from 
the  ruins  of  their  homes,  the  homes  they  had  built 
with  so  much  hard  toil.  Feeble  wimmen  and  chil 
dren,  as  well  as  youth  and  strength,  would  rise  up 
and  move  on,  often  with  sharp,  stingin'  lashes  to 
hasten  their  footsteps. 

Move  on  to  another  place  to  have  the  same  scenes 
^enacted  over  and  over  agin. 

The  crops  and  stock  that  wuz  left  fell  as  a  reward 
to  the  victors  in  the  fray. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  131 

And  if  there  wuz  a  pretty  girl  amongst  the  fugitives 
she  too  wuz  often  and  often  bound  to  the  conqueror's 
chariot  wheels  till  the  chariot  got  tired  of  this  add 
ed  ornament,  then  she  fell  down  before  it  and  the 
heavy  wheels  passed  over  her.  And  so  exit  pretty 
girl. 

But  the  world  wuz  full  of  them  ;  what  mattered 
one  more  or  less  ?  It  wuz  no  more  than  if  a  fly 
should  be  brushed  away  by  a  too  heavy  hand,  and 
have  its  wings  broken.  There  are  plenty  more,  and 
of  what  account  is  one  poor  insect  ? 

Many  a  poor  aged  one  died  broken-hearted  in  the 
toilsome  exodus  from  their  homes  and  treasures. 

But  there  wuz  plenty  more  white-headed  old 
negroes — why,  one  could  hardly  tell  one  from  an 
other — of  what  use  wuz  it  to  mention  the  failure  of 
one  or  two  ? 

Many  a  young  and  eager  one  with  white  blood 
throbbin'  in  his  insulted  and  tortured  breast  stood 
Up  and  fought  for  home,  and  dear  ones,  and  liberty, 
all  that  makes  life  sweet  to  prince  or  peasant. 

What  became  of  them  ?  Let  the  dark  forests  re 
veal  if  they  can  what  took  place  in  their  shadows. 

Let  the  calm  heavens  speak  out  and  tell  of  the 
anguished  cries  that  swept  up  on  the  midnight  air 
from  tortured  ones.  How  the  stingin'  whip-lash 
mingled  with  vain  cries  for  mercy.  How  frenzied 
appeals  wuz  cut  short  by  the  sharp  crack  of  a  rifle 
or  the  swing  of  a  noose  let  down  from  some  tree- 
branch. 

How  often  Death  come  as  a  friend  to  hush  the 
lips  of  intolerable  pain  and  torture  ! 

Sometimes  this  tyrannical  foe  felt  the  vengeance 


J32  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

he  had  called  forth  by  his  cowardly  deeds,  and  a 
white  man  or  woman  fell  a  victim  to  the  vengeance 
of  the  black  race. 

Then  the  Associated  Press  sent  the  tidings  through 
an  appalled  and  horrified  country — 

'  Terrible  deed  of  a  black  brute — the  justly  in 
censed  citizens  hung  the  wretch  up  to  the  nearest 
tree — so  perish  all  the  enemies  of  law  and  order/' 

And  the  hull  country  applauded  the  deed. 

The  black  man  had  no  reporters  in  the  daily 
papers  ;  if  he  had,  their  pens  would  have  been  worn 
down  to  the  stump  by  a  tithe  of  the  unrecorded 
deeds  that  are  yet,  we  believe,  put  down  on  a 
record  that  is  onbought  and  as  free  to  the  poorest 
class  as  to  the  highest,  and  is  not  influenced  by 
political  bias. 

But  these  accounts  are  not  open  yet,  and  the  full 
history  of  these  tragedies  are  as  yet  unread  by  the 
public. 

More  awful  tragedies  than  ever  took  place  or  ever 
could  take  place  under  any  other  circumstances, 
only  where  one  alien  and  hated  race  wuz  pitted 
aginst  the  other. 

Ignorance  on  both  sides,  inherited  prejudices,  and 
personal  spite,  and  animosities  blossomin*  out  in  its 
fruit  of  horror. 

"  They  were  burnt  at  the  stake  ;  they  were  sawed 
asunder  ;  they  were  destitute,  afflicted,  tormented." 

Your  soul  burns  within  you  as  you  read  of  these 
deeds  that  took  place  in  Jerusalem  ;  your  heart 
aches  for  them  who  wandered  about  tormented, 
hunted  down  on  every  side  ;  you  lavish  your  sym 
pathy  upon  them  ;  but  then  you  think  it  wuz  a  sav- 


DEFENDING    HIS    HOME. 


134  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

age  age,  this  wuz  one  of  its  brutalities,  and  you 
congratulate  yourself  upon  livin'  in  an  age  of  Chris 
tian  enlightenment. 

You  think  such  deeds  are  impossible  in  a  land  over 
which  the  Star  of  Bethlehem  has  shone  for  eighteen 
hundred  years. 

Down  in  many  a  Southern  bayou,  in  the  depths  of 
many  a  cypress  swamp,  near  the  remains  of  a  vio 
lated  home,  lies  a  heap  of  ashes — all  that  remains  of 
a  man  who  died  fightin'  for  his  home  and  his  loved 
ones. 

That  wuz  his  only  crime — he  expiated  it  with  his 
life.  But  his  liberated  soul  soared  upwards  jest  as 
joyfully,  let  us  hope,  as  if  his  body  received  the  full 
sacrament  of  sorrowful  respect. 

One  of  the  laws  enacted  of  late  in  the  South  per 
mits  a  white  man  to  kill  a  black  man  for  a  crime 
committed  aginst  his  honor,  and  if  the  white  man  com 
mits  the  same  crime  and  the  black  man  takes  the 
same  revenge,  he  is  killed  at  once  accordin'  to  law — 
one  man  liberated  with  rejoicings,  the  other  shot 
down  like  a  dog.  Do  you  say  the  black  man  is  more 
ignorant  ?  That  is  a  bad  plea. 

And  wantin'  to  act  dretful  lawful,  a  short  time  ago 
a  gang  of  white  law-makers  dug  up  the  dead  body 
of  a  dark-complexioned  husband  they  had  murdered 
accordin'  to  law,  and  after  breakin'  its  bones,  hung 
it  over  agin. 

He  could  find  in  the  law  no  help  to  defend  his 
home  or  protect  his  honor,  no  refuge  in  the  grave 
to  which  the  law  had  sent  him. 

I  wonder  if  his  freed  soul  has  found  some  little 
safe  corner  in  space  fenced  round  by  justice  and 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  135 

compassion,  where  it  can  hide  itself  forever  from 
the  laws  and  civilization  of  this  igth  Century,  in 
this  great  and  glorious  country  of  the  free. 

To  select  this  one  instance  of  cruel  wrong  and  in 
justice  from  the  innumerable  ones  similar  to  it  is 
like  takin'  up  a  grain  of  sand  from  the  seashore  and 
contemplatin'  it — the  broad  seashore  that  stretches 
out  on  either  hand  is  full  of  them. 

And  why  should  not  wrongs,  and  crimes,  and 
woes  be  inevitable — why,  indeed  ? 

A  race  but  lately  slaves,  with  the  responsible  gift 
of  freedom  dropped  too  soon  into  their  weak  hands — 

The  race  so  lately  the  dominant  and  all-powerful 
one  through  the  nation,  by  the  fiction  of  law  dropped 
down  under  the  legal  rule  of  these  so  long  down 
trodden,  oppressed,  ignorant  masses,  what  could  the 
result  be  ? 

And  the  law-makers  who  had  proclaimed  peace 
arid  liberty,  on  paper,  sot  afar  contemplatin'  the 
great  work  they  had  done,  and  left  the  Reign  of 
Horror  to  be  enacted  by  the  victors  and  the  vic 
tims. 

Poor  colored  man  !  poor  white  man  !  both  to  be 
pitied  with  a  pity  beyend  words. 

It  wuz  not  their  fault,  it  wuz  but  the  fallin'  hail 
and  lightnin'  and  tempest  out  of  clouds  that  had 
been  gatherin'  for  ages. 

But  after  the  tempest  cometh  peace.  And  the 
eyes  of  Faith  beholds  through  the  mists  and  the 
darkness  the  sunshine  of  a  calmer  time,  the  peace 
and  the  rest  of  a  fair  country,  and  a  free  one. 

God  grant  more  wisdom  to  the  great  common 
wealth  of  this  nation,  those  whose  wills  are  spoken 


136  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

out  by  their  ballots,  to  the  makers  and  the  doers  of 
law. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin',  and  to  resoom,  and  con 
tinue  on. 

Felix  and  Hester,  by  some  good  chance,  or  by  the 
grace  of  God,  had  not  been  obliged  yet  to  leave 
their  pretty  home,  so  they  worked  on,  tryin'  to  be 
so  peaceable  and  friendly  that  no  fault  could  be 
found  with  them. 

Col.  Seybert's  attention  when  he  wuz  at  Seybert 
Court  wuz  very  annoyin'  to  Hester,  but  she  dared 
not  tell  Felix,  fearin'  that  he  would  avenge  himself 
on  the  Colonel,  and  bloodshed  would  result. 

So  she  tried  to  be  very  careful.  She  had  an  old 
negro  woman  stay  with  her  ;  she  took  in  work  all 
she  could  at  home,  and  when  she  went  out  to  work 
she  wuz  prudent  and  watchful,  and,  fortunately  for 
her  peace  of  mind,  the  Colonel  made  short  stays  at  his 
home — he  found  more  potent  attractions  elsewhere. 

So  stood  matters  when  Felix  wuz  appointed  Jus 
tice  of  the  Peace  at  Eden  Centre. 

He  wuz  honestly  appointed  and  honestly  elected. 

Victor  had  always  declined  any  office,  and  had 
Felix  taken  his  advice  he  would  also  have  refused 
the  office. 

But  perhaps  Felix  had  some  ambition.  And 
maybe  he  had  some  curiosity  to  see  what  honesty 
and  a  pure  purpose  could  accomplish  in  political 
matters,  to  see  what  such  a  marvellous  thing  could 
amount  to. 

Anyway,  he  accepted  the  nomination  and  received 
the  office. 

And  the  night  after  he  wuz  elected  he  and  Hester 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  137 

talked  the  matter  over  with  some  pardonable  pride 
as  they  sot  in  the  door  of  their  pretty  little  parlor 
in  the  warm  moonlight. 

The  creepin'  vines  on  the  trellis  cast  pleasant 
shadows  of  leaf  and  blossom  down  over  their  heads 
and  on  the  pretty  carpet  at  their  feet. 

This  carpet  Hester  had  bought  with  her  own 
money  and  wuz  proud  of. 

The  moonlight  lay  there  warm  and  bright,  weav- 
in'  its  magic  tapestry  of  rose  leaf  and  swingin' 
vine  tendrils  long  after  they  wuz  asleep  in  their  lit 
tle  white-draped  room  near  by. 

Baby  Ned  lay  fast  asleep,  with  a  smile  on  his  moist, 
flushed  face,  in  his  love-guarded  cradle  near  them. 

The  little  boy  did  not  dream  of  anything  less  sweet 
and  peaceful  than  his  mother's  good-night  kiss  that 
had  been  his  last  wakin'  remembrance. 

But  about  midnight  other  shadows,  black  and  ter 
rible  ones,  trod  out  and  defaced  the  swayin',  trem- 
blin*  rose  images  and  silvery  moonlight  on  the  floor. 

Tall  men  in  black  masks,  a  rough,  brutal  gang, 
surrounded  the  place  and  crashed  in  the  door  of  the 
little  cottage. 

Amongst  the  foremost  wuz  Nick  Burley,  a  low, 
brutal  fellow,  one  of  Col.  Seybert's  overseers  and 
boon  companions. 

He  had  wanted  the  office,  and  his  friends  greatly 
desired  it  for  him,  thinkin'  no  doubt  it  would  prove 
many  times  a  great  convenience  to  them. 

But  Felix  won  it  honorably.  He  got  the  majority 
of  votes  and  wuz  honestly  elected. 

But  Burley  and  his  choice  crew  of  secret  Regu 
lators  could  not  brook  such  an  insult  as  to  have  one 


138  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

of  a  race  of  slaves  preferred  to  him,  so  they  pro 
ceeded  to  mete  out  the  punishment  to  him  fit  for 
such  offenders. 

They  tore  Felix  from  his  bed,  leavin'  Hester  in  a 
faintin'  fit,  and  the  little  child  screamin'  with  fright. 


THE  LEADER. 


Took  him  out  in  the  swamp,  bound  him  to  a  tree, 
and  whipped  him  till  he  had  only  a  breath  of  life  left 
in  him  ;  then  they  put  him  into  a  crazy  old  boat,  and 
launched  him  out  on  the  river,  tellin'  him  "if  he 
ever  dared  to  step  his  foot  into  his  native  State  agin 
they  would  burn  him  alive." 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  139 

And  this  happened  in  our  free  country,  in  a  coun 
try  where  impassioned  oritors,  on  the  day  set  apart 
to  celebrate  our  nation's  freedom,  make  their  voices 
heard  even  above  the  roar  of  blatant  cannons,  so 
full  of  eloquence  and  patriotism  are  they,  as  they 
eulogize  our  country's  liberty,  justice,  and  inde 
pendence. 

44  The  only  clime  under  God's  free  sky,"  they  say, 
"  where  the  law  protects  all  classes  alike,  and  the 
vote  of  the  poorest  man  is  as  potent  as  the  loftiest,  in 
moulding  our  perfect  institutions.  Where  the  low 
est  and  the  highest  have  full  and  equal  civil  and 
political  rights." 

Oh,  it  would  have  been  a  goodly  sight  for  our 
American  eagle,  proud  emblem  of  liberty,  to 
have  witnessed  this  midnight  scene  we  have  been 
describin'  ;  methinks  such  a  spectacle  would  almost 
have  magnetism  to  draw  him  from  his  lofty  lair  on 
Capitol  Hill  to  swoop  down  into  this  cypress  swamp, 
and  perchin'  upon  some  lofty  tree-top,  look  down 
and  witness  this  administration  of  justice  and  equal 
rights,  to  mark  how  these  beneficent  free  laws  en 
wrap  all  the  people  and  protect  them  from  foreign 
invasion  and  home  foes,  to  see  how  this  nation  loves 
its  children,  its  black  children,  who  dumbly  endured 
generations  of  unexampled  wrongs  and  indignities 
at  its  hands,  and  then  in  its  peril  bared  their  patient 
breasts  and  risked  their  lives  to  save  it. 

How  this  bird  of  freedom  must  laugh  in  a  parrot- 
like  glee,  if  so  grave  and  dignified  a  fowl  wuz  ever 
known  to  indulge  in  unseemly  mirth,  to  see  the  play  go 
on,  the  masquerade  of  Folly  and  Brutality  in  the  garb 
of  Wisdom  and  Order,  holding  such  high  carnival. 


140  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

After  thus  sendin'  Felix  half  dead  from  his  brutal 
usage  adrift  on  the  turbid  river  waves  that  they  felt 
assured  would  float  him  down  to  a  sure  and  swift 
death,  the  gang  of  ruffians  returned  to  the  cottage 
to  complete  their  night's  work. 

Col.  Seybert  had  dealt  out  plenty  of  bad  whiskey 
to  them  to  keep  up  their  courage  ;  and  Nick  Burley, 
besides  satisfying  his  own  vengeance  upon  Felix, 
had  been  offered  a  very  handsome  reward  by  his 
master  for  gettin*  him  out  of  the  way  and  takin' 
Hester  to  a  lonely  old  cabin  of  his  in  the  depths 
of  the  big  forest. 

But  they  found  the  pretty  cottage  empty,  and 
they  could  only  show  their  disapprobation  of  the 
fact  by  despoilin'  and  ruinin'  the  cozy  nest  from 
which  the  bird  had  flown. 

Hester  had  recovered  from  her  faintin'  fit  jest  as 
they  wuz  takin'  Felix  to  the  river  ;  she  discovered 
by  their  shouts  which  way  they  had  gone,  followed 
them  at  a  safe  distance,  and  when  they  had  disap 
peared  she  by  almost  a  miracle  swam  out  to  the 
boat  which  had  drifted  into  a  bayou,  brought  it  to 
shore,  and  nursed  him  back  to  life  agin. 

And  for  weeks  they  remained  in  hidin',  not  darin' 
to  return  to  their  dear  old  home  that  they  had 
earned  so  hardly,  and  Felix  not  dreamin'  of  claimin' 
his  honest  rights  as  a  duly  elected  Justice  of  the 
Peace. 

No,  he  felt  that  he  had  had  enough  of  political 
honors  and  preferments — if  he  could  only  escape 
with  his  life  and  keep  his  wife  and  boy  wuz  all  he 
asked. 

.At  last  he  got  a  note  to  Victor,  who  aided  him  in 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  141 

his  flight  to  another  State,  where  he  patiently  com 
menced  life  agin  with  what  courage  and  ambition 
he  might  bring  to  bear  on  it,  with  his  mind  forever 
dwellin'  on  his  bitter  wrongs  and  humiliation,  and 
on  memories  of  the  old  home  left  forever  behind  him 
—that  pretty  home  with  the  few  acres  of  orchard 
and  garden  about  it.  And  remembered  how  he  and 
Hester  delighted  in  every  dollar  they  paid  towards 
it,  and  how  they  had  a  little  feast,  and  invited  in 
their  friends  that  sunny  June  day  when  the  last  dol 
lar  wuz  paid,  and  it  wuz  their  own. 

And  remembered  how  proudly  they  had  labored 
to  finish  and  furnish  the  little  home.  How  Hester 
had  worked  at  washin'  and  ironin'  and  bought  the 
paper  and  paint,  and  pretty  curtains  and  carpet, 
and  how  infinitely  happy  they  had  been  in  it. 

How  after  his  hard  day's  work  he  would  work  in 
the  little  sunshiny  garden  and  orchard  settin'  out 
fruit  trees,  plantin'  berry  bushes  and  grape-vines, 
and  how  they  had  together  gloried  over  all  their 
small  successes,  and  thought  that  they  had  the  very 
coziest  and  happiest  home  in  the  world. 

Wall,  they  had  lost  it  all.  The  honor  of  bein'  an 
American  citizen  bore  down  pretty  heavy  on  him, 
and  he  had  to  give  it  up. 

Wall,  twice  did  Felix  try  to  get  a  home  for  him 
self  and  his  wife  in  the  Southern  States. 

But  both  times,  on  one  pretext  or  another,  did 
the  dominant  power  deprive  him  of  his  earnings, 
and  take  his  home  from  him. 

Felix  had  a  good  heart  ;  and  once,  the  last  time 
he  tried  to  make  a  home  under  Southern  skies,  this 
good  heart  wuz  the  cause  of  his  overthrow. 


142  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

He  barely  escaped  with  his  life  for  darin'  to  har 
bor  a  white  teacher  who  had  left  his  home  and  gone 
down  South,  followin'  the  Bible  precepts  "  to  seek 
and  save  them  that  was  lost,  and  preach  the  Gospel 
to  every  creature." 

He  taught  a  small  colored  school  week  days  and 
preached  in  an  old  empty  barn  on  Sundays. 

Little  Ned  went  to  his  school  and  wuz  greatly  at 
tached  to  him. 

But  when  he  wuz  ordered  to  leave  the  State 
within  twenty-four  hours,  because  "  he  wuz  tryin' 
to  teach  them  brute  cattle  jest  as  if  they  wuz 
humans" — 

Bein'  frightened  and  made  sick  by  the  violence 
of  his  discharge  and  the  stingin'  arguments  with 
which  they  enforced  their  orders,  Felix  opened  his 
poor  cabin-door  and  sheltered  him  ;  then  agin  his 
home  wuz  surrounded  with  a  band  of  armed,  masked 
men,  and  they  only  managed  to  escape  with  their 
lives,  and  Felix  agin  left  all  his  poor  little  improve 
ments  on  his  home  behind  him. 

He  and  his  family  and  the  white  teacher,  bruised 
but  undaunted,  got  to  the  railroad  by  walkin' 
almost  all  night,  and  so  escaped  out  of  their  hands. 

The  young  teacher  married  soon  after  a  rich 
Northern  woman  with  kindred  tastes  to  his  own, 
and  they  both  betook  themselves  imegiatly  after 
their  marriage  to  a  part  of  the  South  a  little  less 
ardent  in  hatred  to  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  where 
they  are  doin'  a  good  work  still  in  teachin'  a  col 
ored  school. 

But  the  next  time  Felix  made  a  start  in  life  he 
commenced  it  in  a  Northern  city. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  143 

There  the  best  thing  he  could  get  in  the  way  of  a 
home  for  his  wife  and  child  wuz  a  room  way  up  on 
the  top  of  a  crazy  old  tenement-house  tenanted  by 
noisy,  drunken,  profane  men  and  women. 

For  drunkenness,  and  brawls,  and  sickenin'  hor- 


FELIX   AND    THE    TEACHER. 


rors  are  not  confined  to  Southern  soil  ;  they  are 
also  indigenous  to  the  North. 

And  the  gaunt  wolves  of  Sin  and  Want  howl  to 
the  moon  under  the  No'rthern  skies  as  well  as 
Southern. 

And  stayin'  there — not  livin' — workin'  hard  as  he 
did  through  the  day,  and  uninvitin'  as  his  home 


144  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

wuz  after  his  labor  wuz  over,  he  could  set  down  for 
a  few  minutes  with  Hester,  only  to  have  their  quiet 
broken  by  drunken  brawls,  and  oaths,  and  fights, 
and  all  sounds  and  sights  of  woe  and  squalor. 

In  such  circumstances  as  these  the  teachings  and 
importunate  words  of  Victor  about  colonization  fell 
upon  a  willin'  ear. 

For  the  seeds  that  had  laid  in  Victor's  heart,  wait- 
in'  only  the  warm  sun  to  bring  them  to  life,  had 
sprung  up  into  full  vigor  and  bloom  under  the  influ 
ence  of  Genieve's  prophetic  words,  and  afterwards 
by  his  own  observation  and  study. 

Victor  come  to  believe  with  his  whole  soul  and 
heart  that  the  future  of  his  race  depended  upon  their 
leavin*  this  land  and  goin'  fur  away  from  all  the 
cursed  influences  that  had  fettered  them  so  long  here 
and  found  a  new  home  and  country  for  themselves 
— a  New  Republic. 

And  as  Felix,  with  whom  Victor  had  been  in  con 
stant  correspondence,  read  these  glowin'  words  and 
arguments,  they  fell  upon  good  ground. 

Truly  the  soil  in  Felix'  breast  had  been  turned, 
and  ploughed,  and  made  ready  for  the  seed  of  lib 
erty  to  be  planted  and  spring  up. 

All  of  the  time  while  he  wuz  gettin'  his  education 
so  hardly,  spendin'  every  hour  he  could  possibly 
spare  from  his  work  in  endeavorin'  to  fit  himself  for 
a  future  of  freedom  and  usefulness — all  this  while  he 
had  been  told,  been  taught  in  sermons  and  religious 
and  secular  literature,  and  read  it  in  law  books  and 
statutes,  that  merit  wuz  the  only  patent  of  nobility ' 
in  this  country,  that  merit  would  win  the  prizes  of 
life. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  145 

To  this  end  he  had  worked,  had  shaped  his  own 
life  to  habits  of  honesty  and  industry  ;  he  had  sur 
rounded  himself  with  all  the  safeguards  possible  to 
keep  him  in  the  right  path,  chose  for  his  intimate 
friends  young  men  who  cherished  the  same  lofty 
ideals  that  he  did. 

He  attended  church  constantly,  became  an  ear 
nest  Christian,  had  obtained  an  excellent  education, 
and  then  it  wuz  not  strange  that  he  should  look 
about  him  to  try  to  behold  the  rewards  that  merit 
wins.  One  illustration  of  this  reward  of  merit  we 
have  jest  given — when  he  wuz  elected  Justice  oi 
the  Peace. 

That  wuz  a  fair  sample  of  the  rewards  of  merit 
offered  to  his  race. 

He  wuz  not  alone  in  it  ;  no,  he  looked  about  him, 
and  he  saw  thousands  and  thousands  of  young  col 
ored  men  who  had  studied  jest  as  hard  as  he  had — 
they  too  had  dreams  of  this  great  truth  that  had 
been  dinned  in  their  ears  so  long — that  Christian 
ity,  education,  and  merit  will  win  all  the  prizes  of 
life. 

They  studied,  they  worked  hard,  they  pursued 
lofty  ideals,  and  when  they  left  their  schools  they 
wuz  Christians,  they  wuz  educated,  they  wuz  meri 
torious.  Their  minds  wuz  bright  and  well  equipped, 
their  tastes  wuz  refined,  they  wuz  good. 

Of  what  avail  wuz  it  all,  so  Felix  asked  himself, 
when  they  wuz  pushed  back  to  the  wall  by  brazen 
audacity  and  ignorance — and  intolerance  and  igno 
rance  and  immorality,  if  encased  in  a  white  skin, 
might  snatch  all  the  prizes  out  of  their  hands  and 
take  their  places  in  the  front  ranks  of  life. 


146  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

In  many  States  in  the  South  they  could  not  get 
the  place  of  a  policeman  if  it  depended  upon  the  in 
tegrity  of  the  ballot. 

What  sort  of  an  education,  a  finishing  school,  wuz 
this  for  the  young  colored  man  of  the  South  ?  Wuz 
such  unblushin'  fraud,  and  lies,  and  cheatin',  and 
heart-burnings,  and  sickenin'  disappointments,  and 
deeds  of  violence,  a  wholesome  atmosphere  for 
young  people  to  learn  morals  in  ? 

Felix,  as  he  looked  about  him  and  saw  the  thou 
sands  and  thousands  and  thousands  of  young  men, 
graduates  of  schools  and  members  of  churches,  in 
jest  the  same  condition  as  he  himself  wuz — he  might 
be  pardoned  if  he  asked  himself  if  the  long  horror  of 
the  War  had  been  in  vain. 

If  Lincoln  and  Grant  and  all  the  other  pure  souls 
had  toiled  and  died  in  vain. 

If  the  millions  of  dollars  given  by  Northern  philan 
thropy,  and  the  noble  lives  of  sacrifice  in  teachin' 
and  preachin',  had  been  given  in  vain. 

He  might  be  pardoned  if  he  said  : 

"  Give  these  young  colored  people  new  doctrines 
or  new  laws  ;  teach  them  less  Christianity  by  book 
and  a  little  more  practical  religion  and  justice  by 
object  lesson  ;  give  these  law-abiding,  native-born 
citizens  of  this  Republic  a  tithe  of  the  rights  and 
privileges  enjoyed  by  the  lowest  criminal  foreigner 
newly  landed  on  our  shores,  or  else  let  this  addition 
be  made  to  their  creeds  : 

"  '  Merit  has  nothing  to  do  in  determining  a  man's 
future  life.' 

"  '  Injustice  shall  conquer  in  the  end/ 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  147 

"  '  Fraud  shall  be  victor  over  honest  and  Chris 
tian  endeavor. ' 

"  '  The  colored  man,  by  reason  of  his  dark  com 
plexion,  shall  be  forever  deprived  of  all  the  blessings 
and  privileges  of  the  Government  he  risked  his  life 
to  save. '  ' 

Put  this  into  the  creeds  you  teach  the  young  col 
ored  men  and  women,  and  they  will  at  least  respect 
you  for  bein'  sincere  and  truthful. 

Felix  felt  all  this,  and  more  too — more  than  I 
could  set  down  if  my  pen  wuz  as  long  as  from  here 
to  the  moon,  and  longer. 

And  feelin'  as  he  did,  is  it  any  wonder  that  all  his 
mind  and  heart  wuz  sot  on  this  skeme  of  Victor's, 
and  all  his  hopes  and  aims  pinted  towards  a  new 
home,  where  he  could  take  his  wife  and  child  and 
be  free  ?  where  he  felt  that  he  could  own  them  and 
own  a  right  to  make  a  home  for  'em — a  home 
where  the  American  eagle,  proud  bird  of  Liberty, 
could  nevermore  tear  him  with  her  talons,  or  claw 
his  trtistiiT  eyes  out  with  her  sharp  bill? 

He  felt  this,  but  the  eagle  wuzn't  to  blame — it 
wuz  her  keepers,  if  he  had  only  known  it.  The 
eagle  wuz  in  a  hard  place.  I  felt  real  sorry  for  the 
fowl,  and  have  for  a  number  of  times.  She  has  been 
in  many  a  tight  place  before  now — places  where  it 
wuz  all  she  could  do  to  squeeze  out  her  wings  and 
shake  'em  a  mite. 

Wall,  Felix  worked  hard,  and  so  did  Hester,  with 
this  end  in  view — to  go  fur  away  and  be  at  rest. 

Felix,  after  many  efforts,  got  a  place  as  workman 
on  a  big  buildin'  that  wuz  bein'  put  up  ;  and  Hester 


148  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

got  a  place  as  fine  washerwoman  and  laundress  with 
good  wages. 

They  lived  cheap  as  they  could,  and  at  the  time 
when  I  first  hearn  about  'em  (from  Genie ve)  they 
had  got  about  the  amount  saved  that  Victor  thought 
they  would  require. 

Felix  wanted  at  least  four  or  five  hundred  dollars 
to  start  with.  You  see,  he  and  Victor  could  look 
ahead,  which  is  more  than  some  of  their  mother's 
race  can  do. 

Felix  knew  he  had  got  to  have  something  to  live 
on  for  the  first  year  after  he  got  to  the  Promised 
Land.  He  didn't  mean  to  pin  his  faith  onto  any 
body  or  anything.  He  felt  that  his  family's  safety 
and  well-bein'  depended  on  him,  and  he  wuz  bound 
to  labor  with  that  end  in  view. 

And  Victor  wuz  workin'  as  hard  as  Felix  ;  work- 
in*  quietly  and  secretly  as  possible,  deemin'  that  the 
best  way  to  avert  danger  from  them  and  make  suc 
cess  possible. 

He  wuz  workin'  as  a  standard-bearer,  a  tryin'  to 
make  his  people  hear  his  cry  to  move  forward  into 
the  Promised  Land,  into  their  own  land,  from 
whence  they  had  been  torn  with  violence,  but  to 
which  they  should  return  with  knowledge  and  wis 
dom  learned  in  the  hard  school  of  martyrdom  and 
slavery. 

He  knew  that  to  preach  this  doctrine  to  all  his 
people  would  be  like  tryin'  to  stop  the  course  of  the 
wind  by  a  shout. 

The  old,  the  feeble,  and  those  who  wuz  attached  by 
strong  ties  of  love  or  gratitude  to  this  Western  land 
— and  Heaven  knows  there  wuz  many  such  who  had 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


149 


received  such  kind  treatment  from  the  dominant 
race  (if  kindness  is  possible  in  slavery)  that  their 
hearts  wuz  knit  to  the  spot  where  their  old  masters 
and  mistresses  wuz — 

These  people   he   did  not  seek  to  disturb  with 


"THE  OLD,  THE  FEEBLE." 

dreams  of  new  homes  in  a  freer  land — love  makes 
labor  light — they  wuzn't  unhappy. 

And  then  there  wuz  many  who  had  got  peaceful 
homes  in  settlements  and  cities  who  wuz  contented 
and  doin'  well— or,  that  is,  what  they  thought  well — 
these  Victor  did  not  seek  to  change. 

But  for  the  young,  the  educated,  the  resolute,  the 


ISO  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

ambitious  he  tried  to  influence  their  eager,  active 
minds  with  his  own  ideal  of  a  New  Republic. 

Where  his  people,  so  long  down-trodden,  might 
have  a  chance  to  become  a  great  nation,  with  a  future 
glorious  with  a  grandeur  the  colder  white  race 
never  dreamed  of. 

When  Victor  heard  scoffin'  prophecies  of  the 
negro's  incapacity  to  govern  himself  or  others,  he 
thought  of  the  example  of  that  hero  saint,  Toussaint 
L'Ouverture.  How  he,  a  pure  negro,  with  no  white 
blood  in  his  veins,  carved  out  the  freedom  of  his 
race. 

How,  brave  as  a  lion,  this  untaught  man  fought 
aginst  overwhelmin'  odds,  and  won  battles  that  the 
best-trained  soldier  would  almost  have  despaired 
of ;  surmounted  difficulties  and  won  victories  that 
would  have  proved  well-nigh  impossible  to  a  Wash 
ington  or  a  Napoleon.  How,  untaught  in  diplo 
macy,  he  reconciled  conflictin'  interests  that  would 
have  baffled  our  wisest  statesmen. 

Clement  and  merciful,  for  he  always  shrank  from 
causin'  bloodshed  till  war  or  ruin  wuz  inevitable. 

Generous,  for  when  the  storm  burst  his  first 
thought  wuz  to  save  his  master's  family. 

Wise  and  prudent,  he  founded  and  ruled  over  a 
peaceful  and  prosperous  republic  till  he  wuz  be 
trayed  to  his  ruin — not  by  the  black  race,  but  by  the 
cupidity,  and  treachery,  and  envy  of  the  white  race. 

Perished  by  starvation  in  a  dungeon  for  the  sole 
fault  of  bein'  superior  and  nobler  than  the  white 
people  who  envied  his  success  and  sought  his  over 
throw. 

Victor  thought  if  one  of  his  own  race  could  do  this 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  151 

marvellous  thing,  amidst  such  warrin'  and  diverse 
elements  and  opposin'  races,  what  would  it  not  be 
possible  for  his  people  to  do  in  a  new  and  free  coun 
try,  in  a  state  of  peace  and  quiet,  with  only  the  in 
terests  and  advancement  of  this  one  race  to  look 
after. 

He  dreamed  in  his  hopeful  visions  of  a  fresh  new 
civilization  springin'  up  anew  in  the  soil  that  had 
nurtured  the  first  civilization. 

For  in  the  East,  where  the  star  had  first  shone 
and  travelled  on  to  the  West,  then  back  agin  to  the 
mystical  wonder-laden  East — thither  did  Victor's 
rapt  eyes  follow  it.  And  Genieve,  too,  how  she 
dreamed  and  longed  for  that  new  kingdom  ! 

All  through  their  dreary  servitude,  tortured  and 
wretched,  it  seemed  as  if  God  gave  to  the  believers 
amongst  this  people  songs  in  the  night,  as  if  His  spirit 
breathed  through  the  simple  hymns  they  sung  to 
lighten  the  hours  of  bondage. 

Some  spirit,  some  inspiration  seemed  to  breathe 
through  their  songs  that  brought  tears  to  eyes  un 
used  to  weepin*. 

The  most  cultured,  the  most  refined  found,  in  spite 
of  themselves,  that  they  had  wet  cheeks  and  beatin' 
hearts  after  listenin'  to  these  simple  strains. 

It  could  not  have  been  for  their  musical  worth — 
for  they  had  little  ;  it  could  not  have  been  for  their 
literary  value — for  they  had  none. 

What  could  it  have  been  in  them  that  charmed 
alike  prince  and  peasant  but  the  spirit  of  the  Most 
High,  who  come  down  to  speak  hope  and  cheer  to 
His  too  burdened  and  hopeless  ones  and  lighten 
their  captivity  ? 


152  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Genieve  thought  that  when  this  people,  whom 
God  chose  to  honor  in  this  way,  and  whom  He  had 
led  in  such  strange  ways  out  of  the  jungles  of  igno 
rance  in  Africa,  through  the  hard  school  of  Ameri 
can  slavery,  out  into  liberty — she  dreamed  it  was  for 
the  express  purpose  of  educating  her  race  so  they 
might  go  back  and  redeem  this  dark  land  ;  and  then 
she  fancied  that  the  Presence  that  had  stayed  with 
them  through  the  dark  night  of  sorrow  would  in 
the  full  day  of  their  civilization  shine  out  with  a 
marvellous  light,  and  they  would  be  peculiarly 
under  His  care. 

She  dreamed  that  this  child- like,  warm-hearted 
race  would  indeed  ."  see  God"  as  the  colder  and 
more  philosophical  races  could  not. 

So,  as  I  begun  to  say — but  what  a  hand  to  eppi- 
sode  I  am,  and  what  a  digressor  I  be — and  I  believe 
my  soul  it  grows  on  me  — 

Wall,  as  I  begun  to  say  more'n  half  an  hour  ago,  if 
it  wuz  a  minute, 

Col.  Seybert  thought  he  had  another  cause  of 
enmity  aginst  Victor,  for.  he  had  strong  proofs  that  it 
wuz  he  who  had  helped  release  Hester  from  his 
clutches. 

And  although  it  wuz  kept  secret  as  possible,  yet 
rumors  had  reached  Col.  Seybert  of  Victor's  dreams 
of  the  colonization  of  his  race. 

And  to  this  Col.  Seybert  wuz  opposed  with  all  the 
selfishness  and  haughty  arrogance  of  his  nature. 
Why,  who  would  work  his  big  plantations  if  it  wuz 
not  for  the  blacks  ?  And  if  this  movement  should  suc 
ceed  he  knew  it  would  draw  off  the  best,  and  most 
intelligent,  and  industrious  element,  and  the  ones 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


'53 


left  in  the  South  would  charge  double  wages,  so  he 
reasoned. 

And  as  to  Victor,  he  vowed  to  himself  with  a  big 


"  HIS    OVERSEER." 


round  oath  that  he  should  not  go.     He  should  not 
leave  him. 

Why,  who  would  look  after  his  interests  as  he 
always  had — who  would  keep  his  affairs  from  goin' 


154  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

to  ruin  durin'  his  long  sprees  ?  Where  could  be 
found  another  servant  with  his  absolute  honesty, 
and  intelligence,  and  care  for  his  interests  ? 

Why,  as  he  thought  of  it,  all  the  old  slaveholdin' 
instinct  of  compellin'  his  inferiors,  the  hereditary 
impulse  to  rule  or  ruin  rose  in  him,  and  his  face 
grew  red  with  wrath,  and  he  vowed  agin,  with  a 
still  more  sonorous  oath,  "  That  Victor  should  not 
go,"  and  he  added,,  with  a  true  slave-driver's  em 
phasis,  ' '  not  alive. ' ' 

His  overseer  and  kindred  spirit,  Nick  Burley, 
hated  Victor  ;  for,  added  to  the  hated  knowledge 
that  Victor  wuz  his  superior  in  every  way,  wuz  the 
belief  that  he  had  befriended  Felix.  At  all  events, 
Victor  and  Felix  wuz  close  friends  always,  and  Bur- 
ley  hated  Felix  worse  if  possible  than  he  did  Victor. 

But  to  Victor  and  Genieve  all  these  shadows  lay 
fur  away  on  the  horizon  almost  unseen,  and  anyway 
almost  forgotten  in  the  clear  sunshine  of  their  happi 
ness. 

For  true  love  will  make  sunshine  everywhere. 


-..j:>3  -    ^S" 


"A  LITTLE   TUMBLE-DOWN   COTTAGE. 


CHAPTER    VI. 

PBOUT  half  a  mile  from  Belle  Fanchon, 
on  the  road  that  led  to  Eden  Centre, 
stood  a  little  tumble-down  cottage 
where  an  old  colored  woman  lived 
with  her  granddaughter  and  grandson. 
Cleopatra,  shortened  into  Aunt  Clo',  wuz  pic- 
turesque-lookin'  even  in  her  rags.  She  wuz  taller 
by  far  than  common  wimmen,  with  a  portly  figure, 
that  did  not  show  any  marks  of  privation,  although 
it  wuz  difficult  to  tell  what  the  family  lived  on,  for 
it  wuz  the  exception  instead  of  the  rule  to  see  any 
one  of  'em  employed  in  any  useful  labor. 

Once  in  a  great  while  Aunt  Clo'  would  go  out  for 
a  day's  work  washin'  or  cleanin'  house,  or  any 
other  work  she  could  perform. 

At  such  times,  although  she  professed  to  have 
great  "  misery"  in  her  back,  her  arms,  her  legs,  and, 
in  fact,  "all  her  bones,"  yet  she  did  a  good  day's 
work,  but  with  groanings  scarcely  to  be  uttered. 

She  always  seemed  serenely  gracious  in  receivin' 
anything  that  Maggie  gave  her,  evidently  consider- 
in'  it  wuz  only  her  due. 

But  although  her  day's  works  wuz  exceedingly 
unfrequent,  and  her  granddaughter  Rosy  and  the 


156 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


boy  Abe  wuz  hardly  ever  seen  to  perform  any  labor, 
yet  they  showed  no  signs  of  starvation,  certainly. 

As  a  reason  for  this  state  of  things  the  neighbors' 
hen-roosts  and  corn-fields  might  have  given  evi 
dence. 

Rosy,  the  young  granddaughter,  wuz  utterly 
without  morals  of  any  savin'  kind.  She  wuz  rather 


CLEOPATRA. 

pretty  for  a  full-blooded  African.  A  empty-headed, 
gigglin',  utterly  depraved  study  in  black. 

Not  one  of  the  family  could  read  or  write,  or 
hardly  tell  the  time  of  day.  Two  large  dogs  formed 
part  of  their  household,  and  they  seemingly  pos 
sessed  more  intelligence  than  either  of  the  human 
residents. 

Rosy  used  often  to  come  to  Maggie's  kitchen  to 
ask  for  things  they  wanted.  For  one  peculiarity  of 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  157 

this  family  wtiz  that  they  seemed  only  serenely  per- 
formin'  their  duty  when  they  begged  for  anything 
they  wanted. 

One  day,  as  she  sot  before  me  arrayed  in  cheap, 
dirty  finery,  I  said  to  her  : 

"  Rosy,  can  you  read  or  write  ?" 

"  No,  missy." 

"  Wouldn't  you  like  to  learn  to.?" 

"  I  d'no,  missy." 

"  There  is  a  colored  school  only  a  little  ways  from 
here,  where  a  good  many  of  your  people  are  learn- 
in'  to  be  good  scholars.  Why  don't  you  go  to  it?" 

"  I  d'no,  missy." 

"  If  you  will  go  I  will  give  you  the  books  you 
will  want.  Will  you  go  if  I  will  get  them  for  you  ?" 

1  Yes,  missy." 

A  most  unblushin'  falsehood,  as  I  learned  after 
wards.  For  she  sold  the  books  as  soon  as  I  gave 
them  to  her  at  the  little  store  at  the  Corners,  sold 
them  for  a  string  of  yellow  glass  beads  and  a  cheap 
cotton  lace  collar. 

And  when  I  taxed  her  with  this,  she  denied  it  at 
once. 

And  when  I  told  her  that  I  saw  the  books  at  the 
store  myself,  she  said  she  had  lost  the  books  on  her 
way  to  school,  and  the  beads  and  collar  had  been 
given  her. 

1  'Fore  de  Lawd  dey  had." 

What  could  any  one  do  with  such  ignorance,  and 
falsehood,  and  utter  lack  of  principle  ? 

And  as  Maggie  said,  "  The  South  is  overrun  with 
just  such  characters  as  these." 

Not  all  of  them  about  there  wuz  so,  she  said,  not 


158  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

by  any  means  ;  some  of  them  wuz  earnest  Chris 
tians,  good  scholars,  good  inhabitants. 

But  thousands  and  thousands  of  those  who  wuz 
slaves,  bred  to  concealment  and  lies  in  self-defence, 
taught  all  kinds  of  vice  by  the  system  under  which 
they  wuz  born  and  nurtured,  seem  to  have  no  sense 
of  what  is  right  and  what  is  wrong  ;  they  will  steal 
with  no  compunction  of  conscience  ;  lie  when  the 
truth  would  serve  them  better  ;  will  only  work 
when  compelled  to,  and  are  low  and  depraved  every 
way. 

"What  is  to  be  done  with  them?"  sez  I.  And 
Maggie  said  and  I  thought  there  wuz  but  one  an 
swer  to  this,  wherever  they  be,  for  movin'  their 
bodies  round  won't  purify  their  souls  to  once  nor 
quicken  their  intellects  imegiatly. 

Give  them  the  Bible,  teach  them,  arouse  them 
from  the  dark  sleep  of  sin  and  ignorance,  learn  them 
to  stand  upright  and  then  to  walk. 

Givin'  such  men  the  right  to  vote  and  control  by 
their  greater  numbers  the  educated  race  is  as  sim 
ple  as  it  would  be  to  set  a  baby  that  had  never  took 
a  step  to  runnin'  a  race  for  a  prize  with  an  athlete. 

The  baby  has  got  to  stand  on  its  feet  first,  get  a 
little  strength  in  its  soft,  unused  muscles,  then  it  has 
got  to  learn  to  walk,  then  to  run,  and  so  on  ;  after 
long  patience  and  teachin',  it  can  mebby  win  its  race 
by  runnin'  and  leapin'  ;  but  not  at  first,  not  before 
it  can  creep. 

Why,  for  a  time  after  I  first  went  South  things 
looked  so  new  and  strange  to  me,  and  my  daughter 
Maggie  wuz  so  firm  in  her  belief,  that  I  seemed  to 
think  jest  as  she  did,  and  we  would  talk  for  hours 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  159 

and  hours,  and  agree  jest  as  well  as  two  human 
creeters  could  agree.  And  I  guess  I  even  outdone 
her  in  drawin'  metafors,  and  drawin'  'em  to  great 
distances,  as  my  way  is. 

For  I  am  always  one  to  speak  out  and  tell  how 
things  look  to  me  to-day  ;  if  they  look  different  to 
morrow  under  the  light  of  some  different  knowl 
edge,  why,  then  I'll  speak  out  agin  and  tell  that 
when  the  time  comes. 

And  some  of  these  beliefs  Maggie  and  I  pro 
mulgated  to  each  other,  I  believe  now  jest  as  strong 
as  I  did  then,  and  some  of  my  idees  got  sort  o'  modi 
fied  down  in  the  course  of  time.  Of  this  more  and 
anon. 

But  then  Maggie  would  talk  to  me,  and  I'd  say  to 
Maggie  : 

Why,  lettin'  such  ignorant  and  onexperienced 
men  rule  the  country,  rule  free,  educated,  cultured 
men  and  wimmen,  is  as  foolish  as  it  would  be  to  put  a 
blind  man  onto  a  wild,  onbroke  horse,  and  tell  him 
to  guide  it  safe  when  it  wuz  led  right  along  by  pits, 
and  canyons,  and  kasems,  and  helpless  ones  and 
infants  are  layin'  right  in  its  path,  and  lots  of  mean, 
ugly  creeters  ready  to  ketch  holt  of  the  bits  and 
back  him  off  out  of  their  way. 

Why,  that  blind  man  couldn't  do  it.  Why  ?  be 
cause  he  hain't  got  any  eyes,  that  is  why. 

He  don't  know  which  line  to  pull  on,  for  he 
hain't  got  no  eyes  to  see  which  way  the  danger  lays, 
nor  which  side  on  him  folks  are  a  layin'  in  his  track. 

He  hain't  to  blame,  that  blind  man  hain't,  nor 
the  horse  hain't  to  blame,  nor  the  helpless  ones  he  is 
a  tromplin'  over  and  a  stompin'  and  a  kickin'. 


1 60  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"  Who  is  to  blame  ?"  Why,  the  ones  that  lifted 
him  onto  the  horse. 

Wall,  say  some,  the  blind  man  wuz  lifted  onto  the 
horse  in  the  first  place  to  get  him  out  of  danger  ;  he 
wuz  jest  on  the  pint  of  sinkin'  down  into  the  deep 
mud  and  quicksand  ;  he  wuz  lifted  onto  the  horse  as 
a  war  measure,  a  way  of  safety  to  him  out  of  his 
danger. 

Wall,  I  sez,  that  wuz  all  right ;  I  presume 
they  thought  the  horse  could  bear  him  out  safely 
amongst  the  pitfalls  a  layin'  on  every  side  of  him, 
and  I  dare  presume  to  say  they  didn't  realize  that 
the  man  wuz  so  blind,  or  that  so  many  wuz  goin'  to 
be  trompled  on  by  the  heels  of  the  horse. 

But  now,  I  say,  they  have  gin  it  a  fair  trial, 
they  see  it  didn't  work  ;  they  see  that  a  blind  man 
can't  ride  a  wild  horse  over  a  dangerous  road  with 
safety  to  himself,  or  the  horse,  or  the  helpless  ones 
in  his  way. 

Wall,  what  will  you  do  ?"  you  say. 

Wall,  Maggie  spozed  the  case,  and  I  did  ;  we 
said,  spozin'  the  ones  that  lifted  that  blind  man  up 
onto  the  horse  should  take  him  off  on  it  a  spell  as  easy 
as  they  could,  so's  not  to  hurt  his  feelin's,  and  then 
go  to  doctorin'  the  man's  eyes,  to  try  to  get  him  so 
he  can  see  ;  hold  the  horse  for  him  till  he  can  see  ; 
curb  the  horse  down  so  it  will  go  smoother  some  ; 
encourage  the  man  by  tellin'  him  the  truth  that  you 
are  a  keepin'  the  horse  for  him,  and  he  is  a  goin'  to 
get  up  onto  him  agin  and  ride  him  as  soon  as  he  can 
see,  and  the  sooner  he  gets  his  eyesight  the  sooner 
he  can.  ride. 

Give  him  the  sure  cure  for  his  blindness,  and  then 


ROSY. 


1 62  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

if  he  won't  lay  holt  and  cure  himself,  let  him  go 
afoot  as  long  as  the  world  stands. 

Give  the  black  man  and  the  poor  whites  plenty  of 
means  for  study  and  self-improvement.  Give  them 
the  Bible  and  good  schools,  plenty  of  religious  and 
seckular  teachers,  and  I  believe  they  will  improve, 
will  become  safe  guides  to  f oiler  and  to  guide  them 
selves,  whether  in  this  land  or  in  another,  wherever 
their  future  may  lay. 

Sez  Thomas  Jefferson  :  "  The  same  rule  would 
work  well  to  the  North  as  well  as  the  South." 

"  Heaven  knows  it  would,"  sez  I.  It  hain't  be- 
comin'  in  us  to  cast  motes  and  forget  beams. 
Heaven  knows  that  our  criminals,  and  paupers,  and 
drunkards,  and  the  foreign  convicts  and  jail-birds 
landed  on  our  shores  are  not  safe  gardeens  to  trust 
our  life  and  liberties  to. 

This  mass  of  ignorance  and  vice,  native  and  for 
eign,  that  swarms  to  the  polls,  bought  for  a  measure 
of  whiskey,  ought  to  be  dealt  with  in  the  same  way. 

Men  who  can't  read  the  names  on  the  ballots  can't 
see  deep  enough  into  the  urena  of  political  life  to  be 
safe  guides  to  f  oiler,  to  be  safe  gardeens  to  the  help 
less  wimmen  and  children  committed  to  their  care. 

Liberty  is  too  priceless  a  jewel  to  be  committed 
into  such  vile  hands,  such  weak  hands,  hands  that 
would  and  do  barter  it  away  to  the  highest  bidder. 

Liberty  and  Freedom  sold  for  a  glass  of  beer. 
The  right  of  suffrage,  the  patent  of  our  American 
nobility,  to  be  squandered  and  degraded  for  a  pipe 
ful  of  tobacco.  The  idee  ! 

And  kneelin'  in  churches,  sez  I,  and  settin'  apart 
in  their  own  homes  are  royal  souls,  grand,  educated 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  163 

lovers  of  their  country  and  their  kind,  who  would 
for  duty's  sake  reach  out  one  hand  to  take  the  bal 
lot,  and  cling  with  the  other  to  the  cross  of  the 
Crucified. 

Them    who    have   agonized   over    the  woes   and 
wrongs  of  the  world,  and  tried  with  anointed  vision 
to  find  out  the  true  wisdom  of  life  and  right  livin'- 
have  spent  their  whole  noble  lives  for  the  good  of 
poor  humanity— 

They  must  kneel  on  in  silence,  and  stay  in  seclu 
sion,  and  see  the  freedom  of  their  children  and  the 
children  of  humanity  bought  and  sold,  and  sunk  in 
the  dirt,  and  trailed  in  the  mire  by  them  who  have 
never  given  a  thought  to  righteousness  and  right 
livin'. 

The  black  man  would  never  have  been  freed  from 
his  chains  of  bondage  had  not  a  necessity  arisen. 
God's  great  opportunity  comes  on  down  the  ages  ; 
let  us  be  ready  for  it.  He  sees  wrongs,  and  woes, 
and  incomparable  sufferings  plead  to  Him  for  re 
dress. 

The  heavens  are  very  still.  The  prayin'  ones 
hear  no  reply  to  their  tears,  their  lamentations,  their 
despairin'  cries. 

The  heavens  are  very  calm,  and  blue,  and  fur 
away. 

But  at  last  man's  necessity,  God's  great  oppor 
tunity  comes  ;  the  oppressors  are  driven  into  some 
corner  by  their  own  deeds,  till  the  only  way  for  them 
to  get  out  in  safety  is  to  answer  the  prayers  of  cen 
turies  and  let  the  oppressed  go  free. 

Man's  necessity  has  come  ;  they  endure  plague 
after  plague,  and  depend  on  their  own  strength  and 


164  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

keep  up  their  own  proud  wills,  and  harden  their 
hearts,  and  refuse  to  answer  the  pleadings  of  justice. 

But  bimeby  the  plagues  increase,  their  troubles 
grow  greater  and  greater,  they  encompass  them 
about,  there  is  no  way  out  only  to  liberate  the 
great  throng  that  stands  between  them  and  safety. 
And  bimeby,  when  there  is  a  dead  one  in  every 
house,  and  weepin'  is  on  every  side,  and  the  mourn 
ers  go  about  the  street,  and  the  mountains  are  be 
hind,  and  the  sea  in  front,  and  there  is  no  way  out 
only  to  liberate  the  oppressed,  why,  then  there  is  a 
"  military  necessity." 

God's  opportunity  has  come.  Rather  than  perish 
themselves  they  will  let  justice  be  done,  let  the  op 
pressed  go  free. 

Now,  here  is  another  Egypt.  A  long-oppressed, 
ignorant  race  is  set  up  too  sudden  as  a  ruler  over  an 
educated,  intelligent,  intolerant  one,  for  in  many 
places  the  white  race  is  in  the  minority. 

But  it  will  not  yield  to  the  misrule  of  ignorance. 

The  white  people  are  bitter,  arrogant,  and  op 
pressive  under  their  new  conditions. 

The  blacks,  nursin'  their  old  and  new  wrongs, 
are  burnin'  for  vengeance  on  their  oppressors. 
They  will  not  suffer  much  longer  and  be  still 

A  great  struggle  is  impendin'.  I  spoze  the  Nation 
thinks— and  it  is  naterel  for  anybody  to  think — that 
the  black  vote  cannot  be  put  down  legally  sence  the 
right  of  suffrage  wuz  gin  'em.  They  think  it 
couldn't  be  taken  from  them  for  a  long  time  without 
a  war  followin'  ;  they  think  they  would  fight  their 
way  to  the  poles,  and  it  would  seem  naterel  that 
they  should,  sez  I,  and  so  sez  Maggie. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  165 

11  Then  what  can  be  done  ?"  sez  Maggie  ;  and  then 
wuz  the  time  that  I  sez,  and  I  felt  real  riz  up  when 
I  sez  it  : 

There  is  one  thing  that  might  be  tried — give  the 
ballot  to  the  white  women  of  the  South,  and  to 
the  black  women  too,  if  they  can  come  up  to  the 
standpoint  of  intelligence.  Let  a  certain  amount  of 
education  and  intelligence  be  the  qualification  to 
the  ballot. 

This  is  your  peaceful  passin'  through  the  Red  Sea 
of  the  present.  The  waves  may  stand  up  pretty 
high  on  each  side  ;  loud  talk,  and  fears  for  womanly 
modesty,  fears  for  man's  supremacy,  fears  for  the 
dignity  of  the  ballot  will  blow  up  pretty  high  waves 
on  both  sides. 

But,  sez  I  solemnly,  if  the  Lord  is  the  Leader, 
if  He  stands  in  front  of  the  army,  and  it  is  His  hand 
that  beckons  us  forward,  and  He  who  passes  over  in 
front  of  the  army,  we  shall  pass  through  in  safety,  and 
the  nation  will  be  saved. 

The  supremacy  will  remain  in  the  hands  of  the 
educated  men  and  women  of  the  South  till  the  illit 
erates  become  safe  leaders  to  themselves  and  others 
by  education  and  the  civilizing  influences  of  the 
Bible  and  good  teachers. 

The  supremacy  would  be  taken  out  of  the  whis 
key  bathed  hands  of  the  loafer  rabble  in  Northern 
cities,  and  remain  in  the  safer  hands  ol  educated 
men  and  women,  till  the  lower  classes  rise  up 
by  the  same  safe  means  of  education  and  en 
lightenment,  when  they  too  will  become  safe  leaders 
and  teachers  of  the  best.  And  I  sez,  How  will 
this  Nation  find  any  safer  means,  any  fairer  way  ? 


1 66  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

It  offers  safety  to  the  imperilled  present,  it  offers 
a  hope,  an  incentive  for  the  strugglin'  future. 

The  poorest  boy  and  the  poorest  girl  would  have 
this  hope,  this  incentive  to  learn— for  the  royal  road 
is  free  for  all,  beggar  or  child  of  wealth.  The  path 
opens  right  up  from  the  alley  to  the  President's 
chair,  from  the  tenement  to  the  Capitol,  jest  as  sure 
as  from  the  mansion  house  or  the  university. 

It  is  safe  another  way,  so  it  seems  to  me,  because 
it  is  right  and  just. 

Justice  may  seem  to  lead  through  strange  ways 
sometimes— thorny  roads,  steep  and  rugged  mounts, 
and  deep,  dark  wildernesses,  while  the  path  of  ex 
pedience  and  pleasant  selfishness  may  seem  to  open 
up  a  flowery  way. 

But  every  time,  every  single  time,  Justice  is  the 
safe  one  to  foller.  And  it  is  she  who  will  lead  you 
out  into  a  safe  place,  while  the  rosy  clouds  that  hang 
over  the  path  of  selfish  expedience  will  anon,  or 
even  sooner,  turn  black,  and  lower  down,  and  close 
up  the  way  in  darkness  and  despair. 

This  seems  to  me  a  safe  way  for  the  imperilled 
South  while  it  is  passin'  through  this  crisis,  and  the 
light  shines  jest  as  fair  and  fresh  in  the  newer  day 
that  gleams  in  the  distance.  It  is  shinin'  in  the  eyes 
of  them  that  see  fur  off,  fair  and  beautiful,  the  New 
Republic,  where  there  are  equal  rights,  educated 
suffrage,  co-operative  labor.  Oh  !  blessed  land  be- 
yend  the  swellin'  waves  of  the  unquiet  Present ! 

Genieve  sees  it  plain,  and  so  duz  Victor.  And 
thousands  and  thousands  of  the  educated  and  mor 
ally  riz  up  of  the  colored  race  see  it  to-day,  and  are 
a  strivin'  towards  it. 


; 


"  HE   WUZ   GLAD   TO   SET   DOWN." 


CHAPTER   VII. 


ONE  mornin'   I   sot  off  for  a  walkk  bein* 
set  so  much'of  the  time,  and  used  as  I 
wuz  to  bein'  on  my  feet. 
I    told    Josiah    I    believed    I'd    lose 
the  use  of   my  lims  if    I   didn't  walk 
round  some. 

"  Wall,"  he  said,  "  for  his  part,  he  wuz  glad  to 
set  down,  and  set  there." 

That  man  has  always  sot  more  or  less.  He  hain't 
never  worked  the  hours  that  I  have,  but  I  wouldn't 
want  him  told  that  I  said  it.  Good  land  !  it  would  only 
agrevate  him  ;  he  wouldn't  give  in  that  it  wuz  so. 

But  anyway,  as  I  say,  I  sot  out  most  imegiatly 
after  breakfast.  I  left  Maggie  pretty  as  a  pink,  a 
takin'  care  of  the  children  with  Genieve's  help. 
And  my  Josiah  a  settin',  jest  a  settin'  down,  and 
nothin'  else. 

But  I  didn't  care  if  he  growed  to  the  chair,  I  felt 


1 68  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

that  I  must  use  my  lims,  must  walk  off  somewhere 
and  move  round,  and  I  had  it  in  my  mind  where  I 
wuz  a  goin*. 

I  knew  there  wuz  a  little  settlement  of  colored 
folks  not  fur  from  Belle  Fanchon  by  the  name  of 
Eden  Centre.  Good  land,  what  a  name  ! 

But  I  spoze  that  they  wuz  so  tickled  after  the  War, 
when  they  spozed  they  wuz  free,  and  had  got  hud 
dled  down  in  a  little  settlement  of  their  own,  that 
they  thought  it  would  be  a  good  deal  like  Paradise 
to  'em.  So  they  named  it  Eden  Centre. 

As  if  to  say,  this  hain't  the  outskirts  and  suburbs 
of  Paradise— not  at  all.  It  is  the  very  centre  of 
felicity,  the  very  heart  of  the  garden  of  happiness, 
Eden  Centre. 

Wall,  I  thought  I'd  set  out  and  walk  that  way. 

So  I  wended  my  way  onwards  at  a  pretty  good 
jog  with  my  faithful  umberell  spread  abroad  over  my 
head  to  keep  the  too  ardent  rays  of  the  sun  away 
from  my  foretop  and  my  new  bunnet. 

Part  of  the  way  the  road  led  through  a  thicket  of 
fragrant  pines,  and  anon,  or  oftener,  would  come  out 
into  a  clearin'  where  there  would  be  a  house  a  stand- 
in'  back  in  the  midst  of  some  cultivated  fields,  and 
anon  I  would  see  a  orange  grove,  more  or  less  pros- 
perous-lookin'. 

Jest  a  little  way  out  of  Eden  Centre  I  come  to  the 
remains  of  a  large  buildin'  burned  down,  so  nothin' 
but  some  shapeless  ruins  and  one  tall  black  chimbly 
remained,  dumbly  pintin'  upwards  towards  the  sky  ; 
and  owin'  to  a  bend  in  it,  it  wuz  shaped  some  like  a 
big  black  interrogation  mark,  a  risin'  upwards  aginst 
the  background  of  the  clear  blue  sky. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  169 

It  looked  curius. 

And  jest  as  I  wuz  a  standin'  still  in  my  tracks,  a 
ponderin'  over  the  meanin'  of  it,  and  a  leanin'  on  the 
rough  fence  that  run  along  by  the  roadside,  a  old 
darkey  come  along  with  a  mule  hitched  onto  a  rickety 
buggy  with  a  rope.  And  1  akosted  him,  and  asked 
him  what  wuz  the  meanin'  of  that  big  black  chimbly 
a  standin'  up  in  that  curius  way. 

He  seemed  awful  ready  to  stop  and  talk.  It  wuz 
the  hot  weather,  I  spoze.  And  the  mule  had  called 
for  sights  of  labor  to  get  him  along,  I  could  see  that 
— and  he  sez  : 

"  De  Cadimy  used  to  stand  dar." 

Sez  I,  "  The  school-house  for  the  colored  people  ?" 

"Yes,  "sez  he. 

"  How  did  it  come  to  be  burned  down  ?"  sez  I. 

"  De  white  folks  buhnt  it  down,"  sez  he  calmly. 

"What  for?"  sez  I. 

"  'Cause  dey  didn't  want  it  dere,"  sez  he.  "  Dat's 
what  I  spoze  wuz  de  influential  reason." 

And  then  he  went  on  and  told  me  the  hull  story, 
and  mebby  I'd  better  tell  it  a  little  faster  than  he 
did.  It  took  place  some  years  before,  but  he  had 
lived  right  there  in  Eden  Centre,  and  wuz  knowin' 
to  the  hull  thing. 

A  white  minister  had  come  down  from  the  North, 
a  man  who  had  some  property,  and  wuz  a  good 
man,  and  seein*  the  grievous  need  of  schools  for 
the  black  man,  had  used  his  own  money  to  build  the 
academy. 

He  tried  to  get  land  for  the  school  nearer  the  city, 
where  more  could  be  helped  by  it,  but  nobody  would 
sell  land  for  such  a  purpose. 


170  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Finally,  he  come  here,  and  on  this  poor  tract  of 
land  that  the  negroes  owned  he  put  up  his  buildings. 

It  took  about  all  the  money  he  had  to  build  the 
house  and  get  the  school  started. 

He  had  jest  got  it  started,  and  had  fifty  pupils — 
grown  people  and  children  of  the  freedmen — when 
some  ruffians  come  one  stormy  night  and  set  it  on 
fire. 

The  white  prejudice  wuz  so  strong  aginst  havin' 
the  colored  race  taught,  that  they  burned  down  the 
buildings,  destroyed  all  the  property  that  that  good 
man  had  spent  there. 

It  wuz  on  a  cold,  stormy  night.  His  wife  wuz  ill 
in  bed  when  the  fire  broke  out ;  the  fright  and  ex 
posure  of  that  night  killed  her. 

Not  a  white  man  dast  open  his  door  to  take  the 
family  in,  though  the  white  Baptist  preacher  at 
Wyandotte,  when  he  hearn  on  it,  he  jest  riz  right 
up  in  his  pulpit  the  next  Sunday  night,  mad  with  a 
holy  wrath  at  what  had  been  done  in  their  midst. 

He  riz  right  up  and  told  his  flock  right  to  their 
faces  what  he  thought  of  such  doin's. 

They  said  he  stood  there  with  his  handsome  head 
thro  wed  back,  and  sez  he,  brave  as  a  lion  (and  fur 
better- lookin'),  sez  he  : 

"  Such  outrages  are  a  shame  to  humanity.  Men 
war  against  principles  and  issues,  not  against  helpless 
women  and  children  ;"  and  sez  he,  "  If  they  had  fled 
to  me  for  safety,  I  would  have  opened  my  doors  and 
taken  them  in." 

Oh,  how  they  glared  at  him,  and  how  the  threat- 
enin',  scowlin'  faces  seemed  to  close  round  him,  and 
his  wife's  heart  almost  stopped  beatin'  ;  she  could 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  17* 

fairly  hear  the  report  of  the  pistol-shot  and  feel  the. 
sharp  knife  of  the  assassin. 

When  all  to  once  his  little  girl,  only  three  years 
old,  who  had  come  to  church  that  night,  she  see  the 
black  looks  and  heard  the  muttered  threats  aginst  her 
papa.  And  she  slipped  down  unnoticed  and  come 
up  to  him,  and  pressed  up  close  aginst  him,  and  tried 
to  creep  up  into  his  arms  as  if  she  wanted  to  protect 
him,  the  pretty  creeter. 

He  sez,  "  Hush,  darling,  you  mustn't  come  to 
papa." 

But  she  wouldn't  go  ;  she  made  him  take  her  up 
in  his  arms,  and  from  that  safe  refuge  she  shook  her 
tiny  fist  at  the  crowd,  and  cries  out  : 

"  You  just  let  my  papa  be  ;  you  shan't  hurt  my 
good  papa." 

Wall,  the  tears  jest  run  down  that  preacher's  face, 
he  wuz  that  wrought  up  with  divine  fervor  and  prin 
ciples  before,  and  this  capped  the  sheef. 

Wall,  they  jest  about  worshipped  that  child,  the 
hull  flock  did,  and  they  loved  their  minister  and  his 
wife  ;  and  men  love  bravery  and  admire  courage, 
and  they  felt  the  power  and  pathos  of  the  scene,  and 
the  tears  stood  in  many  a  eye  that  had  flashed  with 
threatenin'  anger  only  a  minute  before. 

And  so  that  storm  lulled  away  and  died  down. 

(I  have  been  leadin'  this  horse  behind  the  wagon, 
as  it  were.)  Maggie  told  me  this  little  incident 
afterwards  (and  now  to  hitch  my  horses  agin  where 
they  belong,  side  by  side,  and  in  front  of  the  mule) 
(metafor). 

After  the  buildings  wuz  destroyed  and  the  threats 
aginst  them  so  awful  and  skairful,  this  poor  man  and 


172 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


his  sick  wife  and  child  jest  run  for  their  lives  ;  no 
body  dast  to  take  'em  in  ;  they  went  from  place  to 
place,  only  to  be  driven  away,  in  the  peltin'  storm 


THE   OLD   NEGRO. 


too,  till  at  last  they  found  a  poor  refuge  in  a  black 
man's  cabin,  where  the  baby  died  the  next  day. 
But  so  bitter  wuz  the  feelin'  aginst  these  teachers 
that  this  black  man  who  took  them  in  wuz  found 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  173 

lyin'  dead  a  few  days  after  with  a  bullet  through  his 
heart. 

Finally,  they  succeeded  in  gettin'  to  the  cars  and 
gettin'  back  North,  where  the  wife  died  within  a 
week's  time. 

And  the  sorrow  over  this  loss,  the  exposure  and 
agitation  of  that  time,  and  the  failure  of  his  life  plans 
jest  killed  that  good  man  too.  He  died  broken 
hearted  within  a  year. 

All  they  had  meant,  all  they  had  wanted  wuz  to 
carry  out  the  Saviour's  principle,  "  Carry  the  Gos 
pel  to  every  creature." 

Then  why  didn't  they  have  a  chance  to  do  it  ?  I 
couldn't  tell,  nor  Josiah  couldn't,  nor  nobody.  No 
wonder  the  tall  black  chimbly  stood  there  a  pintin' 
up  into  the  heavens  like  a  great  interrogation  mark, 
a  askin'  this  solemn  and  unanswered  conundrum  : 

"  Why  evil  is  allowed  to  flourish  and  the  good  to 
be  overthrown  ?" 

Yes,  it  wuz  a  conundrum  that  I  couldn't  get  the 
right  answer  to  ;  but  I  thought  more'n  probable  the 
Lord  could  answer  it,  and  would  in  His  own  good 
time. 

And  as  I  looked  at  it  I  thought  mebby  that  onbe- 
known  to  me,  or  Josiah,  or  anybody,  that  tall  black 
ruin  was  doin'  a  silent  work  in  the  hearts  of  Victor 
and  Felix  and  many  other  of  the  young,  intelligent, 
and  resolute  amongst  this  dark  race. 

Felix  livin',  as  he  had,  under  the  very  shadder  of 
it,  so  to  speak,  who  could  tell  what  influence  it  had 
in  carvin'  this  wrong  down  on  the  livin'  tablet  of  his 
heart,  so  it  might  be  answered  in  all  the  work  he 
might  do  in  the  future  amongst  his  people? 


174  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  Victor,  how  often  had  his  sad  eyes  rested  on 
it,  who  knew  how  such  an  object  lesson  wuz  strikin' 
deep  truths  in  his  great  heart.  Bible  truths  such  as — 

"  A  house  divided  against  itself  cannot  stand." 

And  how  it  stood  up  black  before  him  a  askin' 
him  this  everlastin'  and  momentous  question  : 

"  How  long  his  people  could  endure  such  cruel 
wrong  and  outrage  ?" 

And  mebby  sometimes,  as  the  moon  shone  bright 
on  it,  it  loomed  up  in  front  of  him  some  like  a  pillar, 
and  he  heard  a  voice  fallin*  out  of  the  clear  illu 
mined  sky  : 

"  I  have  seen,  I  have  seen  the  afflictions  of  my 
people  which  are  in  Egypt ;  and  lo,  I  am  come  to 
deliver  them."  "  Get  thee  out  of  this  land  !"  "  Lo, 
I  will  send  thee." 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin',  and  to  resoom. . 

I  have  only  put  down  the  heads  of  the  old  darkey's 
remarks,  jest  the  bald  heads — he  flowered  off  the  sub 
ject  with  various  metafors  and  many  big  words,  not 
always  in  the  right  place,  nor  pronounced  as  the 
world's  people  pronounce  them,  but  with  deep  ear 
nestness. 

And  then  I  asked  him  about  Eden  Centre  and  how 
affairs  had  gone  there. 

And  he  told  me  with  more  flourishes  and  elocution 
all  the  hard  trials  they  had  gone  through,  with  perils 
from  foes  and  perils  from  false  friends,  from  igno 
rance,  from  avarice,  and  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

It  wuz  deeply  interestin'  to  me  and  to  him  too, 
but  finally  he  glanced  up  at  the  sun,  and  straightened 
up  in  the  buggy-seat,  and  told  the  old  mule  and  me 
at  the  same  time 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  175 

"  That  they  must  hurry  or  they  would  be  too  late 
for  the  funeral." 

And  I  asked  him  where  the  funeral  wuz  to  be,  and 
he  stood  up  in  the  rickety  buggy  and  pinted  with 
his  whip  to  a  little  cluster  of  houses  only  a  short  dis 
tance  away. 

And  I  made  up  my  mind  then  and  there  that  I 
would  jest  go  acrost  lots  and  attend  to  that  funeral 
myself. 

So  I  made  my  way  through  a  broken  place  in  the 
fence  and  sot  out  for  the  funeral. 

I  got  there  after  a  short  walk  through  the  ruther 
sandy  path,  though  some  flower-besprinkled.  I 
knew  which  wuz  the  mournin'  cabin  by  the  mules 
and  old  horses  hitched  along  the  fence  in  front  of  it. 

I  went  in  and  obtained  a  seat  near  the  door.  It 
seemed  that  it  wuz  the  funeral  of  a  young  man  taken 
sick  at  the  place  where  he  worked  and  come  home 
to  die.  He  had  been  waiter  in  a  hotel  at  Wyan- 
dotte.  The  mournin'  was  evidently  sincere  ;  cer 
tainly  it  wuz  loud  and  powerful. 

The  minister  seemed  to  want  to  administer  con 
solation  to  the  mournin'  group  ;  his  text  wuz  choze 
with  distinct  reference  to  it,  and  his  words  wuz 
meant  to  cheer.  But  he  got  his  metafors  mixed  up 
and  his  consolation  twisted. 

But  mebby  they  took  it  all  straight  and  right,  and 
if  they  did  it  wuz  all  the  same  to  them. 

His  text  wuz  choze  from  the  story  of  the  child's 
death  in  the  Old  Testament,  and  the  words  wuz 
these  : 

'  We  shall  go  to  him,   but  he  shall  not  return 
to  us." 


i76 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


The  minister  wuz  a  short,  thickset  negro,  with  a 
high  standing  collar,  seemin'  to  prop  up  his  head, 
and  a  benevolent  look  in  his  eyes  and  his  good- 
natured  mouth. 


GAWGE   PERKINS   AM   DAID. 


He  fixed  his  eyes  upon  the  congregation  after  he 
had  repeated  the  text,  and  sez  : 

"  Gawge  Perkins  am  daid  ;  he  wuz  a  waitah  at 
Wyandotte,  an'  of  cose  he  died." 

It  seemed  that  to  him  this  wuz  a  clear  case  of 
cause  and  effect,  which  he  did  not  explain  to  his 
audience. 

"  Of  cose  he  died.  Now,  dar  am  in  dis  audnance 
many  no  doubt  dat  tink  dey  have  got  riches,  an' 
honoh,  an*  fame  ;  but  Gawge  Perkins  am  daid,  an* 
you  have  to  go  and  see  Gawge  Perkins. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  177 

"An*  you  may  tink  you  are  gay,  an'  happy,  an'  in 
high  sperits  ;  but  dis  fac'  remains,  an'  you  can't  get 
round  dis  fac',  Gawge  Perkins  am  daid,  an'  you 
have  got  to  go  and  see  Gawge  Perkins. 

"  But  dar  am  one  consolation,  Gawge  Perkins 
can't  come  back  to  us." 

Durin'  the  sermon  he  spoke  of  the  last  day  and 
the  sureness  of  its  comin',  and  the  impossibility  of 
teltin'  when  it  would  come. 

"  Why,"  sez  he,  "  it  hain't  known  on  earth,  nor  in 
heaven  ;  de  angels  am  not  awaih  of  de  time  ;  why, 
Michael  Angelo  himself  don't  know  it." 

But  through  the  whole  sermon  he  dwelt  on  this 
great  truth — that  they  must  all  go  to  see  George  Per 
kins,  and,  crowning  consolation,  George  Perkins 
could  not  come  back  to  them  ! 

The  mourners  •  seemed  edified  and  instructed  by 
his  talk,  so  I  spoze  there  wuz  some  subtle  good  and 
power  in  it  that  mebby  I  wuzn't  good  enough  to 
see. 

And  I  have  felt  jest  so  many  a  time  when  I  have 
heard  a  white  preacher  hold  forth  for  two  hours  at 
a  Jonesville  funeral  till  my  limbs  wuz  paralyzed  and 
my  brain  reeled  ;  and  the  mourners  had  added  to 
their  other  affliction,  almost  the  num  palsy.  Their 
legs  would  go  to  sleep  anyway,  and  so  forget  their 
troubles  (the  legs). 

As  the  colored  graveyard  wuz  only  a  little  ways 
from  the  cabin,  I  followed  the  mourners  at  a  short 
distance,  and  saw  George  Perkins  laid  in  the  ground 
to  take  his  long  sleep,  with  tears  and  honest  grief  to 
hallow  the  spot. 

What  more,   sez   I  to  myself,  could  an  emperor 


178  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

want,  or  a  zar  ?  A  quiet  spot  to  rest  in,  and  a 
place  in  the  hearts  left  behind. 

After  the  funeral  crowd  had  dispersed  I  sot  down 
under  a  pine-tree  with  spreading  branches,  and 
thought  I  would  rest  awhile. 

And  even  as  I  sot  there  another  funeral  wended 
its  way  into  the  old  yard,  which  did  not  surprise  me 
so  much,  nor  would  it  any  deep  philosopher  of 
human  nater.  For  we  well  know  when  things  get 
to  happenin'  they  will  keep  right  on. 

Human  events  go  by  waves,  as  it  wuz — suicides, 
joys,  broken  dishes,  griefs,  visitors,  etc.,  etc.  So  I 
sot  there  a  moralizin'  some  on  the  queerness  of  this 
world,  as  I  see  the  rough  coffin  a  bein'  lowered  into 
the  ground. 

But  one  thing  struck  me  as  being  singular — there 
wuz  no  mourners  to  be  seen. 

After  a  while  I  got  up  and  asked  a  cheerful-lookin' 
negro  "  where  the  mourners  wuz  ?" 

"  Wall,  misses,"  sez  he,  "  I  spoze  I  am  about  as 
much  of  a  mourner  as  there  is." 

He  looked  anything  but  mournful,  but  he  went  on  : 

41  I  married  dis  ole  man's  stepdaughter,  an'  con 
sequentially  she  died.  An'  den  dis  ole  man  got  a 
kick  from  a  mule,  an'  laid  he  flat  on  his  back  ;  den  he 
got  his  head  stove  in  with  a  chimbly  fallin'  on  it ; 
den  de  airysipples  sot  in,  an'  de  rheumaticks,  an' 
nurality,  an'  foh  years  desese  has  jes'  fed  on  him, 
an'  de  ultamatim  of  it  wuz  he  died.  An'  I  spoze  I 
am  jes'  about  as  much  of  a  mourner  heah  as  you'll 
find." 

And  sayin'  this,  the  radiant-faced  mourner  turned 
away  and  joined  some  friends. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 


179 


As  I  turned  back  I  met  the  colored  preacher  and 
his  wife,  who  wuz  evidently  takin'  a  short  road 
home  acrost  the  graveyard. 

She  wuz  a  good-lookin'   mulatto  woman,  and  I 


ONE   OF   THE    MOURNERS. 


passed  the  time  of  day  with  her  by  sayin',  "  How  do 
you  do  ?"  and  etc. 

And  bein'  one  that  is  always  on  the  search  for 
information,  I  fell  into  talk   with  her  and   her  hus- 


igo  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

band,  and  likin'  their  looks,  I  finally  asked  him  what 
his  name  wuz. 

And  he  said,  "  My  name  is  Mary  Johnson." 

Sez  I,  "  You  mean  your  wife's  name  is  Mary." 

"  No,"  sez  he,  "  my  name  is  Mary." 

And  then  he  went  on  and  told  me  that  he  wuz  the 
youngest  of  twelve  boys,  and  his  father  wuz  so  mad 
at  his  havin'  been  a  boy  that  he  named  him,  jest  in 
spite,  Mary. 

Wall,  we  had  quite  a  good  visit  there,  but  short. 

He  told  me  he  had  been  a  slave  in  his  young  days. 

And  I  asked  him  if  his  master  had  abused  him, 
and  he  told  me,  and  evidently  believed  every  word 
he  said,  that  his  master  wuz  the  best  man  this  side 
of  heaven. 

And  sez  he,  "  Freedom  or  not,  I  never  would 
have  left  him,  never.  If  he  had  lived,"  sez  he, 
"  I  would  have  worked  for  him  till  I  dropped 
down."  And  then  he  went  on  and  related  instances 
of  his  master's  kindness  and  good-hearted  gener 
osity,  that  made  me  stronger  than  ever  in  the  belief 
I  had  always  had,  that  there  are  good  men  and  bad 
men  everywhere  and  under  all  skies. 

And  he  told  me  about  how,  after  nis  master  died, 
and  the  grand  old  plantation  broken  up,  the  splen 
did  mansion  spoiled  by  the  contendin'  hosts,  and 
everything  dear  and  sacred  scattered  to  the  winds- 
how  his  young  master,  the  only  one  left  of  the  happy 
family,  had  gone  up  North  and  wuz  a  doctor  there. 

Buryin'  in  his  heart  the  scenes  of  his  old  happy 
life,  and  the  overthrow  of  all  his  ambitious  dreams, 
he  wuz  patiently  workin'  on  to  make  a  home  and  a 
livelihood  fur  from  all  he  had  loved  and  lost. 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  181 

I  declare  for  't,  I  most  cried  to  hear  him  go  on, 
and  his  wife  joinin'  in  now  and  then  ;  they  told  the 
truth,  and  are  Christians,  both  on  'em,  I  hain't  a 
doubt. 

Finally,  we  launched  off  on  other  subjects — on  re 
ligion,  etc. — and  at  the  last  he  made  a  remark  that 
gin  me  sunthin'  to  think  on  all  my  way  home  to 
Belle  Fanchon. 

For  I  give  up  goin'  to  Eden  Centre  that  day. 
Good  land  !  I  had  talked  too  much — I  am  afraid  it  is 
a  weakness  with  me — anyway,  there  wuzn't  any  time. 

We  wuz  a  talkin'  on  religion,  and  faith,  and  the 
power  of  prayer,  etc.,  and  he  sez  : 

"  I  enjoy  religion,  but  I  have  got  too  much  con 
fidence  in  God." 

Sez  I,  '  You  mean  you  lack  confidence  in 
God." 

"  Yes,  that  is  it,  I  lack  confidence  in  God,  for  I 
find  that  when  I  pray  to  Him  for  anything,  if  I  don't 
get  an  answer  to  it  to  once  I  make  other  arraing- 
ments." 

And  I  thought  as  I  wended  my  way  home,  "  Oh, 
how  much,  how  much  is  Samantha  and  the  hull 
human  race  like  Mary  Johnson  ;  we  besiege  the 
throne  of  grace  for  some  boon  heart  longed  for  and 
dear,  and  if  the  Lord  does  not  answer  at  once  our 
impassioned  pleadin's,  we  make  other  arraingments. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin*. 

When  I  got  back  from  my  walk  I  went  into  the 
kitchen  to  get  some  cool  water  to  put  some  posies  in 
I  had  picked  by  the  way,  and  there  sot  old  Aunt 
Clo',  and  most  imegiatly  after  my  entrance  she  an 
nounced  to  me  that  Rosy,  her  granddaughter,  had 


1 82  SAM  AN  TH  A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

got  a  little  boy,  and  that  Dan,  Maggie's  colored 
coachman,  vvuz  the  father  of  it. 

Aunt  Clo'  did  not  seem  to  be  excited  in  any  way 
about  it ;  she  simply  told  it  as  a  bit  of  news,  rather 
onpleasant  than  otherwise,  as  it  necessitated  more 
work  on  her  part. 

As  for  the  immorality,  the  wrong-doing  connected 
with  it,  she  showed  no  signs  of  feelin'. 

But  Maggie  wuz  aroused  ;  there  wuz  a  pink  spot 
on  both  cheeks  when  I  told  her  about  it. 

She  wuz  settin'  in  her  pretty  room,  and  near  her 
lay  Boy  asleep  on  some  cushions  on  the  sofa.  She 
wuz  readin'  a  love  letter  from  Thomas  Jefferson,  for 
he  wuz  away  for  a  few  days,  and  his  letters  to  her 
wuz  always  love  letters. 

There  she  sot  in  her  safe  and  happy  love-guarded 
home,  by  the  side  of  Boy,  whom  she  held  clost  in 
her  heart  because  he  wuz  the  image  of  her  lover  hus 
band,  Thomas  J.  Allen. 

There  she  sot  in  her  pretty  white  dress,  with  her 
pure,  happy  face — the  flower,  so  I  told  myself  as  I 
looked  at  her,  of  long  years  of  culture  and  refine 
ment,  and  I  couldn't  help  comparin'  her  in  my  mind 
with  the  ignorant  and  onthinkin'  soul  that  another 
boy  had  been  give  to. 

But  I  told  Maggie,  for  I  thought  I  had  ought  to, 
and  her  eyes  grew  darker,  and  a  red  spot  shone  on 
both  cheeks  ;  and  sez  she  the  first  thing  : 

"  Dan  must  marry  her  at  once." 

Sez  I,  "  Mebby  he  won't." 

"  Why,  he  must,"  sez  Maggie  ;  "it  is  right  that 
he  should  ;  I  shall  make  him." 

"  Wall,"  sez  I,  "  you  must  do  what  you  think  is 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM  183 

right.  I  am  fairly  dumbfounded,  and  don't  know 
what  to  do,"  sez  I. 

Maggie  got  up  sort  o'  quick  and  rung  the  bell, 
and  asked  to  have  Dan  sent  up  to  her  room. 

And  pretty  soon  he  come  in,  a  tall,  hulkin'  chap, 
good-natered  but  utterly  irresponsible,  so  he  seemed 
to  me,  black  as  a  coal. 

And  Maggie  laid  his  sins  down  before  him  as  soft 
as  she  could  and  still  be  just,  and  ended  by  tellin' 
him  that  he  must  marry  Rosy. 

This  seemed  to  astound  him  that  she  should  ask 
it  ;  he  looked  injured  and  aggrieved. 

But  Maggie  pressed  the  point.  He  stood  twirlin' 
his  old  cap  in  his  hand  in  silence. 

He  did  not  deny  his  guilt  at  all,  but  he  wuz  sur 
prised  at  the  punishment  she  meted  out  to  him. 

Finally  he  spoke.  "  I  tell  you  what,  Miss  Mar 
garet,  it  is  mighty  hard  on  a  fellah  if  you  make  a 
fellah  marry  everybody  he  pays  attentions  to." 

He  looked  the  picture  of  aggrieved  innocence  in 
black. 

But  Maggie  persisted.  She  told  him  he  could 
move  into  a  little  buildin'  standin'  on  the  grounds  ; 
and  as  he  was  fairly  faithful  and  hard-workin',  Mag 
gie  thought  he  would  get  a  good  livin'  for  his  wife 
and  son. 

"And  you  will  love  your  child,"  sez  Maggie, 
lookin'  down  into  Boy's  sleepin'  face. 

Finally,  after  long  arguments  and  persuasions  on 
Maggie's  part,  Dan  promised  to  marry  Rosy. 

And  to  do  him  justice  he  did  marry  her  in  a 
week's  time,  and  they  moved  into  a  little  thatched 
cabin  at  the  bottom  of  the  grounds. 


184  SAM  A  NT// A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Dan  wuz  good-natered,  as  I  said,  and  a  good 
coachman  and  gardener  when  he  chose  to  work  ; 
and  Maggie  and  I  took  solid  happiness  in  fittin'  up 
the  little  rooms  so  they  looked  quite  pleasant  and 
homelike. 

Rosy,  as  her  little  baby  grew  and  thrived,  mani 
fested  a  degree  of  love  for  it  that  wuz  surprisin' 
when  one  took  into  consideration  the  utter  barren 
ness  and  poverty  of  the  soil  in  which  the  sweet  plant 
of  affection  grew. 

And  it  actually  seemed  as  if  the  love  she  had  for 
the  child  awakened  a  soul  in  her.  Frivolous  and 
empty-headed  enough  she  wuz  to  be  sure,  but  still 
there  wuz  an  improvement  in  her  datin'  from  the 
hour  when  her  baby  first  became  a  delight  to  her. 

Dan  too  grew  more  settled  in  his  behavior.  His 
drinkin'  spells,  which  he  had  always  had  periodi 
cally,  grew  further  and  further  apart,  and  with  the 
dignity  of  a  father  and  householder  added  to  him,  it 
seemed  to  add  cubits  to  his  moral  stature. 

Ignorant  enough,  and  careless  and  onthinkin' 
enough,  Heaven  knows,  but  still  there  wuz  a  change 
for  the  better. 

Little  Snow,  sweet  angel  that  she  wuz,  never  tired 
of  flittin'  down  the  pleasant  path  bordered  with 
glossy-leaved  oleanders  and  magnolias,  to  the  little 
whitewashed  cottage,  to  carry  dainties  to  Rosy  sent 
by  Maggie,  and  to  baby  Dan  when  he  got  large 
enough  to  comprehend  her  kindness. 

And  it  wuz  a  pretty  sight  to  see  Snow's  rose-sweet 
face  and  golden  curls  nestlin'  down  by  baby  Dan's 
little  ebony  countenance. 


"  YOU    CAN    REPAIR    YOUR    DWELLIN*    HOUSE." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

OW  true  it  is  that  though  you  may 
move  the  body  round  from  place  to 
place,  you  can't  move  round  or  move 
away  from  the  emotions  of  the  soul 
that  are  firm  and  stabled. 
You  can  change  your  climate,  you  can  repair  your 
dwellin'  house,  you  can  fill  your  teeth  and  color 
your  hair,  but  you  can't  make  a  ardent,  enthusiastic 
man  into  a  sedate  and  stiddy  one,  or  chain  down  a 
ambitious  one  and  make  him  forget  his  goles. 

Now,  Josiah  Allen  had  been  happy  as  a  king  ever 
sence  he  had  come  South  to  our  son's  beautiful  home. 
He  had  seemed  to  enjoy  the  change  of  scene,  the 
balmy  climate,  and  the  freedom  from  care  and  labor. 
But  that  very  freedom  from  toil,  that  very  on- 
broken  repose  wuz  what  give  him  and  me  a  sore 
trial,  as  you  can  see  by  the  incident  I  will  tell  and 
recapitulate  to  you. 


1 86  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

You  see,  Josiah  Allen,  not  bavin'  any  of  his  usual 
work  to  do,  and  not  bein'  any  hand  to  sew  on  fine 
sewin',  or  knit  tattin',  or  embroider  tidies  and 
splashers,  etc.,  he  read  a  sight — read  from  mornin' 
till  night  almost. 

And  with  his  ardent,  enthusiastic  nater  he  got 
led  off  "by  many  windy  doctrines,"  as  the  text 
reads. 

He  would  be  rampant  as  rampant  could  be  on  first 
one  thing  and  then  another — on  the  tariff,  the  silver 
bill,  and  silo's,  and  air  ships,  etc.,  etc. 

And  he  would  air  all  his  new  doctrines  onto  me, 
jest  as  a  doctor  would  try  all  his  new  medicines  on 
his  wife  to  see  if  they  wuz  dangerous  or  not.  Wall, 
I  spoze  it  wuz  right,  bein'  the  pardner  who  took 
him  for  worse  as  well  as  better. 

And  for  family  reasons  I  ever  preferred  that  he 
should  ventilate  his  views  in  my  indulgent  ear  be 
fore  he  let  'em  loose  onto  society. 

And  one  mornin',  havin*  read  late  the  night  be 
fore  and  bein'  asleep  when  I  come  to  bed,  he  begun 
promulgatin'  a  new  idee  to  me  as  he  stood  by  the 
washstand  a  washin'  him  in  the  early  mornin'  sun 
shine. 

He  wuz  full  of  enthusiasm  and  eagerness,  and  did 
not  brook  anything  of  the  beautiful  mornin'  scene 
that  wuz  spread  out  in  the  open  winder  before  him. 

The  cool,  sweet  mornin'  air  a  comin'  in  through 
the  clusters  of  climbin'  roses,  and  through  the  tall 
boughs  of  a  big  old  orange-tree  that  stood  between 
him  and  the  sunshine. 

Its  glossy  green  leaves  wuz  new  washed  by  a 
shower  that  had  fell  over  night,  and  it  looked  like  a 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  187 

bride  decked  for  her  husband,  with  garlands  of  white 
and  pink  posies,  and  anon  the  round,  shinin'  globes 
of  the  ripe  fruit  hangin'  like  apples  of  gold  right  in 
amongst  the  sweet  blows  and  green  leaves. 

And  way  beyend  the  fields  and  orchards  of  Belle 
Fanchon  stood  the  tree-crowned  mountain,  and  the 
sun  wuz  jest  over  the  top,  so  the  pine-trees  stood 
out  dressed  in  livin'  green  aginst  the  glowin'  sky. 

It  wuz  a  fair  seen,  a  fair  seen. 

But  my  companion  heeded  it  not.  He  had  read 
some  eloquent  and  powerful  speech  the  evenin'  be 
fore,  and  his  mind  had  started  off  on  a  new  tact. 

His  ambition  was  rousted  up  agin  to  do  and  to 
dare,  as  it  had  been  so  many  times  before  (see  ac 
counts  of  summer  boarders,  tenants,  political  honors, 
etc.,  etc.,  etc.,  etc., -and  so  forth). 

And  sez  he,  a  holdin'  the  towel  dreamily  in  his 
hands,  "  Samantha,  my  mind  is  made  up." 

I  had  not  roze  up  yet,  and  I  sez  calmly  from  my 
piller,  where  I  lay  a  drinkin'  in  the  fair  mornin' 
scene  : 

"  It  wuzn't  a  very  hefty  job,  wuz  it  ?" 

Sez  he,  with  about  as  much  agin  dignity  as  he  had 
used  before  : 

'  You  can  comment  on  the  size  of  my  mind  all 
you  want  to,  but  you  will  probable  think  different 
about  the  heft  of  it  before  I  get  through  with  the 
skeme  I  am  jest  about  to  embark  on." 

And  he  waved  the  towel  some  like  a  banner  and 
wiped  his  whiskers  out  in  a  aggressive  way,  and 
stood  up  his  few  hairs  over  his  foretop  in  a  sort  of  a 
helmet  way,  and  I  see  by  his  axent  and  demeanors 
that  he  really  wuz  in  earnest  about  sunthin'  or 


1 88  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

other,  and  I  beset  him  to  tell  me  what  it  wuz.  For 
I  am  deathly  afraid  of  his  plans,  and  have  been  for 
some  time. 

But  he  wouldn't  tell  me  for  quite  a  spell.  But  at 
last  as  he  opened  the  chamber-door  for  a  minute, 
and  the  grateful  odor  of  the  rich  coffee  and  the  ten 
der,  brown  steak  come  up  from  below,  and  wuz 
wafted  into  his  brain  and  gently  stimulated  it,  he 
sort  o'  melted  down  and  told  me  all  about  it. 

He  wanted  to  jine  the  Pan  American  Congress  as 
a  delegate  and  a  worker. 

Sez  he,  "  Samantha,  I  want  to  go  and  be  a  Pan 
American.  I  want  to  like  a  dog." 

"What  for?"  sez  1.  "What  do  you  want  to 
embark  into  this  enterprise  for,  Josiah  Allen  ?" 

"  Wall,"  sez  he,  "  I  will  tell  you  what  for.  I  want 
to  enter  into  this  project  because  I  am  fitted  for  it," 
sez  he,  "  I  have  got  the  intellect  for  it,  and  I  have 
got  the  pans." 

Wall,  I  see  there  wuz  some  truth  in  this  latter 
statement.  For  the  spring  before,  nuthin'  to  do  but 
Josiah  had  to  go  and  get  pans  instead  of  pails  to  use 
in  a  new  strip  of  sugar  bush  we  had  bought  on. 

I  wanted  him  not  to,  but  he  wouldn't  give  in. 
And  of  course  they  wuz  so  onhandy  he  couldn't  use 
'em  much  of  any,  and  there  we  wuz  left  with  our 
pans  on  our  hands — immense  ones,  fourteen-quart 
pans.  The  idee  ! 

Wall,  the  pans  wuzn't  of  any  earthly  use  to  us, 
only  I  could  make  a  few  on  'em  come  handy  about 
the  house,  and  I  had  give  a  few  on  'em  to  the  girls, 
Tirzah  Ann  and  Maggie. 

And  then  they  wuz  packed  away  up  on  the  store- 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


189 


room  shelves — most  seven  dozen  of  'em  ;  and  truly, 
take  them  with  our  dairy  pans,  why  I  do  spoze  we  had 
more  pans  than  anybody  for  miles  round  either  way. 


AND  I  HAVE   GOT   THE  PANS.' 


Wall,  he  wuz  jest  bound  to  go  ;  he  said  he  felt  a 
call.  Sez  he,  "  There  is  things  a  goin'  on  there 
amongst  them  Pan  Americans  that  ought  to  be  broke 
up  ;  and,"  sez  he,  "  they  need  a  firm,  noble,  manly 


1 90  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

mind  to  grapple  with  'em.  Most  the  hull  talk  of  all 
of  'em  that  come  from  different  countries  is  about 
our  pleasant  relations  with  one  another  ;  and  they 
own  up  that  their  chief  aim  is  to  draw  our  relations 
closter  together.  Samantha,  that  has  got  to  be 
stopped." 

And  he  went  on  with  a  look  of  stern  determina 
tion  onto  his  eyebrow  that  it  seldom  wore. 

"  No  man  begun  life  with  a  firmer  determination 
than  I  did  to  do  well  by  the  relations  on  your  side, 
and  as  for  the  relations  on  my  own  side,  I  laid  out 
to  jest  pamper  'em  if  I  had  the  chance  ;  but,"  sez 
he,  as  a  gloomy  shadder  settled  down  onto  his 
countenance,  "  enuff  is  enuff.  I  have  had  Lodema 
Trumble  fourteen  weeks  at  one  hitch  ;  I  have  had 
Cousin  Peter  on  my  side,  and  Cousin  Melinda  Ann 
on  yours,  and  aunts  of  all  sorts  and  sizes,  and  have 
been  grandsoned  till  1  am  sick  on't,  and  uncled  till  I 
despise  the  name  ;  and  as  for  cousinin',  why  I've  had 
'em,  first,  and  second,  and  third,  and  fourth,  up  to 
sixth  and  seventh  ;  I  have  been  scolded  at,  com 
plained  on,  groaned  over,  and  prayed  at,  and  sung 
to,  and  tromboned,  and  pickelowed,  and  nagged, 
and  fluted,  and  preached  at— 

Sez  I  sternly,  "  Don't  you  go  to  sayin'  a  word 
aginst  John  Richard  Allen,  that  angel  man." 

"  I  hain't  said  nothin'  aginst  that  angel  man,  have 
I  ?  Dumb  him,  he'd  talk  anybody  to  death." 

"  What  are  you  doin'  now,  this  minute,  Josiah 
Allen?" 

"I  am  a  talkin'  sense,  hard  horse  sense,  and  you 
know  that  I  have  been  fifed,  and  base-drummed,  and 
harrowed,  and  worried,  and  eat  up,  and  picked  to 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  19! 

pieces  down  to  my  very  bones  by  relations  on  both 
of  our  two  sides,  and  I  have  stood  it  like  a  man.  I 
hain't  never  complained  one  word." 

I  groaned  aloud  here  at  this  awful  story. 

"  Wall,  I  hain't  never  complained  much  of  any. 
But  when  the  Nation  takes  it  in  hand  and  wants  to 
draw  our  relations  closter  and  closter,  then  I  will 
interfere.  For  that  is  their  main  talk  and  effect, 
from  what  I  can  make  out  from  this  speech,"  sez  he, 
a  pintin'  to  a  newspaper. 

"  I  will  interfere,  Samantha  Allen,  and  you  can't 
keep  me  from  it.  I  will  stop  it  if  a  mortal  man  can. 
Anyway,  I  will  boldly  wade  in  and  tell  'em  my  har- 
rowin'  experience,  and  do  all  I  can  to  break  it  up. 
For  as  I  told  you,  Samantha  Allen,  I  have  had  more 
experience  with  relations  than  any  other  human  bein' 
on  the  face  of  the  globe  ;  I  have  got  the  intellect  and 
I  have  got  the  pans." 

Oh,  how  I  did  have  to  talk  to  Josiah  Allen  to  try 
to  diswaide  him  from  this  rash  enterprise  ! 

4  Why,"  sez  I,  "  this   mcetin'  hain't   a  goin'   on 
now  ;  you  are  mistook." 

But  he  knew  he  wuz  in  the  right  on't.  And  any 
way,  he  said  he  could  tell  his  trials  to  some  of  the 
high  officers  of  that  enterprise  and  influence  'em. 

'  I  want  to  influence  somebody,  Samantha/*  sez 
he,  "  before  it  is  too  late." 

And  so  he  kep'  on  ;  he  didn't  say  nuthin'  before 
our  son  and  daughter,  but  every  time  he  would  get 
me  alone,  whether  it  wuz  in  the  seclusion  of  our 
bed-chamber,  or  in  a  buggy,  or  on  the  beautiful 
grounds  of  Belle  Farichon,  then  he  would  begin  and 
talk,  and  talk,  and  talk. 


192 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


The  family  never  mistrusted  what  wuz  a  goin'  on. 
Lots  of  times  to  the  table,  or  anywhere,  when  the 
subject  came  round  anywhere  nigh  to  that  that  wuz 
uppermost  in  his  brain,  he  would  give  me  a  wink,  or 
step  on  my  foot  under  the  table. 


"  I   AM   NEEDED   THERE. ' 

They  never  noticed  the  wink,  and  their  feet  didn't 
feel  the  crunch  of  his  boot  toe — no,  I  bore  it  in 
silence  and  alone. 

For  how  could  they  see  the  tall  mountain  peaks  of 
ambition  that  loomed  up  in  front  of  that  peaceful, 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  193 

bald-headed  man — precipitous  mounts  that  he  wuz 
in  fancy  scalin',  with  the  eyes  of  a  admirin'  world 
lookin'  up  to  him  ? 

No  ;  how  little  can  them  a  settin'  with  us  round 
the  same  table  see  the  scenes  that  is  passin'  before  the 
mental  vision  of  each.  No,  they  can't  do  it  ;  the 
human  breast  hain't  made  with  a  winder  in  it,  or 
even  a  swing  door. 

No  ;  I  alone  knew  what  wuz  a  passin'  and  a  goin' 
on  in  that  beloved  breast. 

To  me,  as  he  always  had,  he  revealed  the  high 
bubbles  he  wuz  a  throwin*  up  over  his  head,  and 
had  always  throwed  ever  and  anon,  and  even  oftener, 
bubbles  wrought  out  of  the  foamin'  suds  of  hope 
and  ambition,  and  propelled  upwards  out  of  the  long- 
stailed  pipe  of  his  fancy,  floated  by  the  gusty  wind 
of  his  vain  efforts. 

And  it  wuz  to  me  he  turned  for  comfort  and 
solace  when  them  bubbles  bust  over  his  head  in  a 
damp  drizzle  (metafor). 

But  to  resoom  and  continue  on. 

He  talked,  and  he  talked,  and  he  talked  ;  he  said 
he  wuz  bound  to  start  for  Washington,  D.  C. 

Sez  I,  "  Are  you  crazy  ?" 

Sez  he,  "  It  hain't  no  further  from  here  than  it 
is  from  Jonesville,  and  I  am  needed  there." 

Sez  he,  "  I  am  goin'  there  to  offer  my  services  as 
a  International  Delegate,  as  a  Delegate  Extraordi 
nary,"  sez  he. 

And  I  sez,  "  I  should  think  as  much  ;  I  should 
think  you  would  be  a  extraordinary  one." 

"  Wall,"  sez  he,  "  in  national  crysisses  they  have 
delegates  by  that  name — I  have  read  of  'em.'* 


THE   BUTTER-MAKER   UP   IN   ZOAR. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  195 

14  Wall,"  sez  I,  "  they  couldn't  find  a  more  ex 
traordinary  one  than  you  are  if  they  combed  the 
hull  country  over  with  a  rubber  comb." 

Wall,  the  upshot  of  the  matter  wuz  that  I  had  to 
call  in  the  help  of  Thomas  Jefferson.  I  knew  he 
wuz  all  in  the  family  and  would  hush  it  up,  jest  as 
much  as  I  would. 

He  interfered  jest  as  his  father  wuz  a  packin'  his 
portmanty  to  start  for  Washington,  D.  C.,  to  offer 
his  services  as  a  extraordinary  delegate,  and  set  up 
as  a  Pan  American. 

Thomas  J.  argued  with  his  Pa  for  more  than  a 
hour.  He  brung  up  papers  to  convince  him  he  wuz 
in  the  wrong  on't.  He  argued  deep,  and  bein'  a 
lawyer  by  perfession,  he  knew  how  to  talk  rapid  and 
fluent.  And  finally,  after  a  long  time,  by  our  two 
united  efforts,  we  quelled  him  down,  and  he  on- 
packed  his  shirt  and  nightcap  from  his  portmanty 
and  settled  down  agin  into  a  private  citizen. 

And  owin'  to  Thomas  J.'s  efforts  and  mine,  under 
took  at  once  by  letter  (for  we  feared  the  effects  of 
delay),  we  sold  the  most  of  them  pans  at  a  good 
price  to  the  butter-maker  up  in  Zoar,  and  a  letter 
wuz  writ  to  Ury  and  Philury  to  deliver  'em. 

So,  some  good  come  out  of  the  evil  of  my  skair 
and  my  pardner's  skeme. 


"JOSIAH   GIVE   UP." 


w 


CHAPTER   IX. 

ALL,  Josiah  give  up  and  crumpled 
down  along-  the  middle  of  the  fore 
noon,  and  he  looked  happy  as  a 
king  after  he  give  up  his  project  (it 
wuz  only  ambition  that  wuz  a  goarin'  him  and  a 
leadin'  him  around). 

And  he  and   Snow  (the  darlin'  !)  had  gone  out  a 
walkin'  in  the  grounds — 

And  I  wuz  a  settin'  alone  on  the  veranda  by  the 
side  of  Boy's  cradle,  Genieve  havin'  gone  to  the 
village  to  get  some  thread- 
When  Victor  come  over  on  a  errant.  He  come  to 
bring  a  note  over  from  Mrs.  Seybert  to  my  daughter 
Maggie,  and  I  told  him  I  would  give  it  to  her  jest  as 
soon  as  she  returned  and  come  back.  She  had  gone 
out  ridin'  with  Thomas  Jefferson. 

And  I,  feelin'  kinder  opset  and  mauger  through 
what  I  had  went  through  with  my  pardner,  thought 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  197 

it  would  sort  o'  take  up  my  mind  and  recooperate 
me  to  talk  a  little  with  Victor  (I  had  always  liked 
him  from  the  first  minute  I  see  him). 

And  so  at  my  request  he  sot  down  on  the  veranda, 
and  we  had  a  little  talk.  I  guess,  too,  he  was  dret- 
ful  willin'  to  talk  with  me,  so's  to  sort  to  waste  the 
time  and  linger  till  Genieve  got  back. 

And  before  some  time  had  passed  away  I  turned 
the  conversation  onto  that  skeme  of  hisen.  I  had 
hearn  a  sight  about  it  first  and  last,  and  kinder  han 
kered  to-day  (for  reasons  given  prior  and  beforehand) 
to  hear  more. 

And  he  went  on  perfectly  eloquent  about  it — he 
couldn't  help  gettin'  all  worked  up  about  it  every 
time  he  got  to  talkin'  about  it  ;  and  yet  he  talked 
with  good  sound  sense,  and  he  see  all  the  dangers 
and  difficulties  in  the  way,  and  his  mind  wuz  sot  on 
the  best  way  of  surmountin'  and  gettin'  over  'em. 

Genieve's  mind  wuz  such  she  naterelly  looked  so 
sort  o'  high  that  she  couldn't  see  much  besides  the 
sun-lit  glorified  mountains  of  the  high  lands  and  the 
beauty  of  the  Gole. 

But  Victor  see  the  rough  road  that  led  down 
through  rocky  defiles  and  through  the  deep  wilder 
ness  ;  he  see  and  counted  all  the  lions  that  wuz  in  the 
path  between  this  and  the  Promised  Land,  and  his 
hull  mind  wuz  sot  on  gettin'  by  'em  and  slayin'  'em  ; 
but  he  heard  their  roars  plain,  every  one  of  'em. 
The  name  of  the  two  biggest  lions  that  lay  in  the 
road  ahead  of  him  a  roarin'  at  him  wuz  Ignorance 
and  Greed. 

One  of  'em  had  black  skin,  black  as  a  coal,  and  the 
other  wuz  light-complected. 


198  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

How  to  get  by  them  lions  wuz  his  first  thought,  for 
they  lay  watchin'  every  move  he  made  at  the  very 
beginnin'  of  the  road  that  led  out  to  Canaan. 

The  animal  Ignorance  wuz  too  gross  and  heavy 
and  sensual  to  even  try  to  get  out  of  the  path  where 
it  must  have  known  it  wuz  in  danger  of  bein'  crushed 
to  death  and  trampled  down  ;  it  wuz  too  thick-head 
ed  to  even  lift  its  eyes  and  look  off  into  a  more  sun- 
lighted  place  ;  it  lay  there,  down  in  the  dark  mud, 
as  heavy,  as  lifeless,  as  filthy  as  the  dark  soil  in 
which  it  crouched. 

Its  huge  black  form  filled  up  the  way  ;  how  could 
Victor  and  them  like  him  lift  it  up,  put  life  and  am 
bition  in  its  big,  heavy  carcass,  and  make  it  move  off 
and  let  the  hosts  go  forward  ? 

The  beast  Greed  lifted  its  long  neck  and  fastened 
its  fiery  eyes  on  Victor  and  his  peers,  and  its  mighty 
arms,  tipped  with  a  thousand  sharp  claws  and 
talons,  wuz  lifted  up  to  keep  them  back — force  them 
back  into  the  prison  pens  of  servitude. 

Victor  see  all  this  that  Genieve  couldn't  see,  not 
bein'  made  in  that  way  ;  he  see  it,  but,  like  Chris 
tian  in  his  march  to  the  Beautiful  City,  he  wuz  de 
termined  to  press  forward. 

And  as  I  sot  there  and  looked  at  him  and  hearn 
him  talk,  I  declare  for't  I  got  all  rousted  up  myself 
with  his  project,  and  I  felt  ready,  and  told  him  so, 
to  help  him  all  I  could  consistently  with  my  duties 
as  a  pardner  and  a  member  of  the  Methodist  meetin' 
house. 

And  as  I  hearn  him  talk,  I  seemed  to  be  riz  up 
more  and  more,  and  able  to  see  further  than  I  had 
seen,  and  I  felt  a  feelin'  that  Victor  wuz  in  the  right 


SAMANTHA    OK   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  199 

on't.  I  thought  back  on  how  eloquent  Maggie  and 
I  had  growed  on  the  race  question,  and  I  felt  that  I 
wouldn't  take  it  back.  No  ;  I  had  spoke  my  mind  as 
things  seemed  to  me  then,  and  if  the  two  races  wuz 
goin'  to  be  sot  down  together  side  by  side,  I  felt 
that  the  idees  we  had  promulgated  to  each  other 
wuz  right  idees  ;  but  the  more  Victor  talked  the 
more  I  felt  that  his  idees  wuz  right  to  separate  the 
two  races,  if  it  wuz  possible  to  do  it. 

His  talk  made  a  deep  impression  onto  me,  and  I 
went  on  in  my  mind  and  drew  some  metafors  fur 
ther,  it  seemed  to  me,  than  I  had  ever  drawed  any, 
and  eppisoded  to  myself  more  eloquent  than  I  had 
ever  eppisoded. 

I  hain't  one  to  go  half  way  into  any  undertakin', 
and  I  made  up  my  mind  then  and  there  that  if  Vic 
tor  and  Genieve  married  and  sot  off  for  this  colony 
in  Africa,  that  I  would  set  'em  out  with  a  bushel  of 
my  best  dried  apples,  and  mebby  more.  And  some 
dried  peaches,  and  a  dozen  of  them  pans — I  thought 
they  would  come  handy  in  Africa  to  ketch  cocoanut 
milk,  or  sunthin'. 

And  I  said  I  would  give  'em  a  couple  of  hens  in 
welcome,  and  a  male  hen  and  a  pair  of  ducks,  if  he 
spozed  he  would  get  water  enough  to  keep  'em  con 
tented.  Somehow  I  kep'  thinkin'  of  the  Desert  of 
Sarah — I  couldn't  seem  to  keep  Sarah  out  of  my 
mind. 

But  he  said  there  wuz  plenty  of  water  where  they 
wuz  goin'.  And  he  sot  and  promulgated  his  idees 
to  me  for  some  time.  And  I  looked  on  him  with 
admiration  and  a  considerable  amount  of  deep  re 
spect. 


200  SAMANTHA   ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

He  wuz  a  tall,  broad-shouldered,  handsome  fel' 
low,  with  very  courteous,  winnin'  manners. 

He  had  a  clear-cut,  resolute  face,  and  silky  brown 
hair  that  fell  down  over  a  broad  white  forwerd,  and 
a  mustache  of  the  same  color. 

His  eyes  would  fairly  melt  sometimes,  and  be  soft 
as  a  woman's,  and  then  agin  they  would  look  you 
through  and  through  and  seem  to  be  piercin'  through 
the  hull  dark  path  ahead  out  into  the  light  of  safety. 

And  his  lips,  that  wuz  resolute  and  firm  enough 
sometimes,  could  anon,  or  oftener,  grow  tremulous 
with  feelin'  and  eloquence. 

He  wuz  a  earnest  Christian,  a  professor  of  religion, 
and,  what  is  fur  better,  a  practicer  of  the  same. 

He  give  his  idees  to  me  in  full  that  day  in  con 
fidence  (and  a  desire  to  linger  till  Genieve  got  back). 

Some  of  these  idees  he  got  from  Genieve,  some 
on  'em  he  learned  from  books,  and  kindred  minds, 
and  close  observation,  and  remembrance  of  talks  he 
had  hearn  when  such  things  sunk  deep  in  his  heart, 
and  some  on  'em  sprung  up  from  seeds  God  had 
planted  in  his  soul,  onbeknown  to  him  ;  in  a  woman 
we  call  it  intuition. 

But  anyway,  no  matter  by  what  name  we  call 
these  seeds,  they  lay  in  the  soul  till  the  Sun  of  Oc 
casion  warms  'em  into  life,  and  then  they  open  their 
star  flowers  and  find  the  way  to  the  Right  and  the 
True. 

To  Victor  the  welfare  of  his  mother's  people  lay 
nearer  to  his  heart  than  even  Genieve,  much  as  he 
loved  her — than  his  own  life,  sacred  as  he  held  it, 
holding,  as  he  believed  it  did,  a  mission  for  humanity. 

It  wuz  his  idee  to  transplant  the  Africans  to  some 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  20 1 

place  where  they  could  live  out  their  full  lives  with 
out  interference  or  meddlin'  with  from  another  peo 
ple,  that  must,  in  the  nature  of  things,  be  always  an 
alien  race  and  one  opposed  to  the  black  race  instinc 
tively  and  beyend  remedy. 

I  see  jest  how  it  wuz  ;  I  see  that  nobody,  no  mat 
ter  how  strong  you  should  fix  the  medicine  and  how 
powerful  the  doses  you  might  give,  could  cure  this 
distemper,  this  instinctive,  deep-rooted  feelin'  of 
antipathy  and  repulsion  towards  the  negro. 

I  see  that  no  amount  of  pills  and  plasters  wuz  a 
goin'  to  make  the  negro  feel  free  and  easy  with  the 
white  race. 

There  is  a  deep-rooted  difference  of  opinion,  and 
difference  of  feelin',  difference  of  aims,  and  desires, 
and  everything  between  the  two  races. 

It  is  as  deep  down  as  creation,  and  as  endless  as 
eternity,  and  can't  be  doctored,  or  tackled  up  in  any 
way  and  made  to  jine  and  become  one. 

It  can't  be  did,  so  there  is  no  use  in  tryin'. 

And  any  amount  of  flowery  speeches  or  proclama 
tions,  or  enactments,  or  anything,  hain't  a  goin'  to 
amalgamate  the  two  races  and  make  'em  blend  into 
another  and  be  a  hull  one. 

No  ;  a  law  may  contain  every  big  law  word,  and 
"  to  wit"  and  "  be  it  enacted"  and  every  clause  that 
ever  wuz  claused,  and  every  amendment  that  wuz 
ever  amended,  but  it  hain't  a  goin'  to  make  any 
difference  with  this  law  that  wuz  made  in  a  higher 
court  than  any  they  have  in  Washington,  D.  C. 

And  a  speech  may  contain  the  hull  floral  tribe,  all 
the  flowers  that  wuz  ever  heard  on  ;  it  may  soar  up 
in  eloquence  as  fur  up  as  anybody  can  go,  and 


202  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

dwindle  down  into  pathos  as  deep  as  ever  wuz 
went. 

But  it  is  a  goin'  to  blow  over  the  subject  jest  like 
any  whiff  of  wind  ;  it  hain't  a  goin'  to  do  the  job  of 
makin'  the  two  races  come  any  nigher  to  each  other. 

Why,  you  see  when  anybody  is  a  tryin'  to  do  this, 
he  hain't  a  nghtin'  aginst  flesh  and  blood  only,  the 
real  black  and  white  flesh  of  the  present,  but  he  is  a 
fightin'  aginst  principalities  and  powers,  the  powers 
of  the  long  kingdom  of  the  past,  the  viewless  but 
unfightable  principalities  of  long  centuries  of  con 
centrated  opinions  and  hereditary  influences,  the 
ingrained  contempt  and  scorn  of  the  superior  race 
towards  the  inferior  in  any  other  condition  only  servi 
tude — the  inbred  feelin's  of  slavery,  of  lookin'  up  with 
a  blended  humility  and  hatred,  admiration  and  envy, 
into  the  face  of  the  dominant  race. 

The  race  difference  lays  like  a  gulf  between  the 
two  people.  You  can't  step  over  it,  your  legs  hain't 
long  enough  ;  you  can't  bridge  it  over,  there  hain't 
no  boards  to  be  found  strong  enough  ;  there  it  yawns, 
a  deep  gulf,  and  always  will  between  the  two  races. 

And  when  the  Nation  expected  to  jine  these  two 
forces  and  hitch  'em  side  by  side  to  the  car  of  free 
dom  by  a  piece  of  paper  with  writin'  on  it,  expect- 
in'  they  would  draw  it  along  easy  and  stiddy,  that 
wuz  the  time  the  Nation  wuz  a  fool. 

It  would  be  jest  as  reasonable  to  hitch  a  wild  lion 
from  the  jungles  by  the  side  cf  a  sheep,  and  set  'em 
to  drawin'  the  milk  to  the  factory. 

They  might  expect  that  if  the  team  got  to  the  fac 
tory  at  all,  the  sheep  would  be  inside  of  the  lion, 
and  the  milk  too. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  203 

It  won't  do  no  good  to  go  too  hard  aginst  Nater. 
She  is  one,  Nater  is,  that  can't  be  went  aginst  not 
with  any  safety. 

Mebby  after  centuries  of  trainin'  and  education, 
the  lion  might  be  learnt  to  trot  along  by  the  side 
of  the  sheep  and  dump  the  milk  out  all  right  at  the 
factory  door.  But  centuries  after  this  had  been 
done,  the  same  instinctive  race  war  would  be  a  goin' 
on  between  the  black  people  and  the  white. 

You  cannot  make  a  soap-stun  into  a  runnin*  vine, 
or  a  flat-iron  blossom  out  with  dewy  roses,  or  a 
thistle  bear  pound  sweet  apples — it  can't  be  done, 
no  matter  how  hard  you  work,  or  how  pure  your 
motives  are. 

So  these  things  bein'  settled  and  positive,  Victor 
thought — and  I'll  be  hanged  if  I  could  blame  him  for 
thinkin' — that  the  sooner  his  people  got  into  a  place 
of  their  own,  away  from  the  white  race  that  had 
fettered  them,  and  they  had  fettered  so  long,  the 
better  it  would  be  for  them. 

He  reasoned  it  out  like  this  :  "  The  Anglo-Saxons 
wuz  here  before  we  vvuz,  and  they  are  a  powerful 
nation  of  their  own.  They  won't  go  ;  so  what  re 
mains  but  to  take  ourselves  away,  and  the  sooner 
the  better,"  he  thought. 

He  had  read,  as  I  said,  many  books  on  the  sub 
ject  ;  but  of  all  the  books  he  had  read,  Stanley's  de 
scription  of  some  parts  of  Africa  pleased  him  best. 

He  shrank  from  takin'  his  people  into  a  colder  cli 
mate  ;  he  had  read  long  and  elaborate  arguments  as 
to  what  cold  wuz  to  do  in  changin*  and  improvin' 
the  African. 

But  his  common  sense  taught  him  that  the  Lord 


204  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

knew  better  than  the  authors  of  these  tracts  as  to 
what  climate  wuz  best  for  His  people. 

He  felt  that  it  wuz  useless  to  graft  a  pomegranate 
or  a  banana  bush  onto  the  North  Pole.  He  felt  that 
it  wouldn't  do  the  pole  any  good,  and  the  grafts 
would  freeze  up  and  drop  off — why,  they  would 
have  to,  they  couldn't  help  it,  and  the  pole  couldn't 
help  it  either— the  pole  had  to  be  froze,  it  wuz 
made  so. 

So  he  never  had  favored  the  colonization  of  his 
race  in  the  colder  Western  States. 

Nor  had  he  quite  liked  the  idee  of  their  findin'  a 
new  home  in  the  far  South  or  in  South  America. 

They  would  be  still  in  an  alien  land,  alien  races 
would  press  clost  aginst  'em. 

No,  a  home  in  Africa  pleased  him  best— in  that 
land  the  Lord  had  placed  the  black  people— it  wuz 
their  home  accordin'  to  all  the  laws  of  God  and  man. 

And  if  it  hadn't  been  the  best  place  for  'em,  if 
they  hadn't  been  fitted  by  nater  for  that  climate, 
why  he  reasoned  it  out  that  they  wouldn't  have 
been  born  there  in  the  first  place. 

He  didn't  believe  God  had  made  a  mistake  ;  he 
didn't  believe  He  could. 

Why,  way  down  in  the  dark  earth  there  never  wuz 
known  to  be  any  mistake  made,  a  wheat  seed  never 
sprung  up  into  a  cowcumber,  a  lily  seed  never 
blowed  out  into  a  daffodil. 

No,  there  seemed  to  be  a  eternal  law  that  pre 
vented  all  mistakes  and  blunders. 

And  havin'  sot  down  the  black  man  in  Africa, 
Victor  felt  that  it  wuz  pretty  sure  to  be  the  right  and 
best  place  for  him. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  205 

Stanley  said  that  there  wuz  room  enough  in  one 
section  of  the  Upper  Congo  basin  to  locate  double 
the  number  of  negroes  in  the  United  States,  without 
disturbin*  a  single  tribe  that  now  inhabits  it  ;  that 
every  one  of  these  seven  million  negroes  might  be 
come  owner  of  nearly  a  quarter  square  mile  of  land. 
Five  acres  of  this  planted  with  bananas  and  plantains 
would  furnish  every  soul  with  sufficient  food  and 
drink. 

The  remainder  of  the  twenty-seven  acres  of  his 
estate  would  furnish  him  with  timber,  rubber,  gums, 
dye  stuffs,  etc.,  for  sale. 

There  is  a  clear  stream  every  few  hundred  yards, 
the  climate  is  healthy  and  agreeable. 

Eight  navigable  rivers  course  through  it.  Hills 
and  ridges  diversify  the  scenery  and  give  magnificent 
prospects. 

To  the  negroes  of  the  South  it  would  be  a  re 
minder  of  their  own  plantations  without  the  swamps 
and  depressin'  influence  of  cypress  forests. 

Anything  and  everything  might  be  grown  in  it, 
from  the  oranges,  guavas,  sugar-cane  and  cotton  of 
sub-tropical  lands,  to  the  wheat  of  California  and  the 
rice  of  South  Carolina. 

If  the  emigration  wuz  prudently  conceived  and 
carried  out,  the  glowin'  accounts  sent  home  by  the 
first  settlers  would  soon  dissipate  all  fear  and  reluc 
tance  on  the  part  of  the  others. 

But  to  make  this  available,  it  would  have  to  be 
undertaken  at  once,  says  Stanley.  For  if  it  hain't 
taken  advantage  of  by  the  American  negro,  the  rail 
ways  towards  that  favored  land  will  be  constructed, 
steamers  will  float  on  the  Congo,  and  the  beautiful 


206  SAM  AN  TH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

forest  land  will  be  closed  to  such  emigration  by  the 
rule,  first  come  first  served. 

And  then  this  beautiful,  hopeful  chance  will  be 
lost  forever. 

Victor  read  this,  and  more,  from  Stanley's  pen, 
and  felt  deeply  the  beautiful  reasonableness  of  the 
skeme. 

With  all  the  eloquence  of  which  he  wuz  master  he 
tried  to  bring  these  facts  home  to  his  people,  and 
tried  to  arouse  in  them  something  of  his  own  en 
thusiasm. 

As  for  himself  he  wuz  bound  to  go — as  teacher,  as 
missionary,  as  leader — as  soon  as  he  could  ;  his  moth 
er's  health  wuz  failing — his  unhappy  mistress  needed 
him  sorely — his  preparations  wuz  not  all  completed 
yet. 

There  wuz  several  hundred  young,  intelligent 
negroes,  most  of  them  with  families,  who  wuz  work- 
in'  hard  to  get  the  money  Victor  thought  would  be 
necessary  for  a  successful  venture. 

For  besides  the  cost  of  transportation,  Victor 
wanted  them  to  be  placed  beyend  the  possibility  of 
sufferin'  and  hardship  while  they  wuz  preparin'  their 
land  for  cultivation. 

But  I  sez,  "  Most  probable  this  Nation  will  fit  out 
some  ships  and  carry  you  back  to  your  old  home." 
Sez  I,  "  More  than  probable  Uncle  Sam  will  be  glad 
of  the  chance  to  pay  some  of  his  debts,  and  clear 
the  slate  that  hangs  up  behind  the  Capitol  door,  of 
one  of  the  worst  and  meanest  debts  it  ever  had 
ciphered  out  on  it,  and  held  up  aginst  him." 

But  Victor  smiled  ruther  sadly  and  looked  duber- 
some. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  207 

He  thought  after  the  colony  there  wuz  a  assured 
success,  thousands  and  thousands  would  go  with 
their  own  money  and  help  poorer  ones  to  new  homes 
there  ;  but  he  didn't  seem  to  put  much  dependence 
on  Uncle  Samuel's  ever  hitchin'  up  his  steamships 
and  carryin'  'em  over. 

But  I  sez  real  warmly,  for  I  cannot  bear  any 
animyversions  aginst  that  poor  old  man  (only  what  I 
make  myself  in  the  cause  of  Duty)— sez  I,  "  You 
wrong  Uncle  Samuel  ;"  sez  I,  "  You'll  find  out  that 
he  will  brace  up  and  do  the  right  thing  if  the  case  is 
presented  to  him  in  the  right  light,  and  he  brings  his 
spectacles  to  bear  on  it. 

'  Why,"  sez  I,  "if  I  borry  a  cup  of  tea  of  Miss 
Gowdey,  do  I  spoze  that  she  will  trapise  over  to  my 
house  after  it?— and  the  same  with  flat-irons,  press- 
boards,  bluin'  bags,  etc. 

14  No,  I  carry  'em  back  agin,  honorable. 

"  And  if  Josiah  Allen  borrys  a  plough  or  a  fannin' 
mill,  do  you  spoze  he  expects  the  neighborin'  men 
he  borrys  'em  of  to  harness  up  and  come  after  'em  ? 
No,  he  carries  'em  back. 

"  And  how  much  more  would  he  feel  obligated  if  he 
had  stole  'em,  and  me  too  ;  why  we  should  expect  to 
carry  'em  back,  or  else  get  shot  up,  and  good 
enough  for  us. 

"  Now,"  sez  I,  "  you  and  your  people  wuz  stole 
from  Africa  by  Uncle  Samuel,  or,  I  don't  spoze  the 
old  man  did  the  stealin'  with  his  own  hands,  but  he 
stood  by  and  see  it  done  and  winked  at  it,  and 
allowed  it  ;  and  so,  he  is  responsible,  bein'  the  head 
of  the  family. 

"  And  if  that  old  man  ever  calculates  to  make  any 


DEACON  HUFFER. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  209 

appearance  at  all  before  the  nations  of  the  earth,  if 
he  ever  calculates  to  neighbor  with  'em  to  any  ad 
vantage,  he  will  jest  carry  them  stolen  creeters  back 
and  put  'em  down  onharmed  on  the  sile  he  dragged 
'em  from. 

"  Good  land  !  it  won't  be  no  job  for  him  ;  it  won't 
be  no  more  for  him  than  it  would  for  my  companion 
to  take  back  a  hen  he  had  borryed  from  Deacon 
Huffer  up  to  Zoar— or  stole  from  him,  I  spoze  I  ort 
to  say,  in  order  to  carry  out  the  metafor  as  metafors 
ort  to  be  carried/' 

I  sez  this  in  a  real  enthusiastic  axent,  and  a  very 
friendly  one  too  towards  Uncle  Samuel ;  for  I  love 
that  noble-minded  but  sometimes  misguided  old 
creeter— I  love  him  dearly. 

But  Victor  smiled  agin  that  sort  of  a  amused 
smile,  and  yet  a  sort  of  a  sad  one  too.  And  sez  he  : 

"  I  am  afraid  this  Nation  has  not  got  your  sense 
of  honor." 

He  couldn't  help,  I  see,  a  kinder  wishin'  that  the 
Government  would  brace  up  and  take  over  a  few 
cargoes  of  'em. 

But  he  wuz  dubersome. 

But  anyway  he  wuz  bound  they  should  get  there 
some  way.  And  I  had  a  feelin',  as  I  looked  at  him, 
that  the  dark  waves  in  front  of  him  would  part  some 
way,  and  he  would  pass  over  into  the  light,  he  and 
his  race. 

Wall,  jest  about  as  he  finished  up  his  idees  to  me, 
Genieve  come  in  lookin'  as  pretty  as  a  pink,  and  I 
got  up  and  carried  the  thread  into  the  house,  willin' 
to  leave  'em  alone  for  a  little  while,  and  I  spoze — I 
spoze  they  wuz  willin'  to  have  me  go. 


210         SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

Yes,  I  hadn't  forgot  what  courtship  wuz,  when 
Josiah  Allen  come  over  to  see  me,  sheepish  but 
affectionate. 

And  I  remember  well  how  he  would  brighten  up 
when  Mother  Smith  would  be  obleeged  to  go  out  to 
get  supper,  or  to  strain  the  milk,  or  sunthin'  or 
other. 

No,  I  hain't  forgot  it,  and  most  probable  never 
shall. 


"UNDER  THK  WHITE  CROSS." 


CHAPTER   X. 

ITTLE  Snow  wuz  always  askin'  about 
the  little  girl  who  wuz  a  lyin'  un 
der  the  white  cross  and  the  rose- 
trees  down  in  the  corner  of  the  gar 
den  at  Belle  Fanchon. 

And  she  would  ask  me  sights  of 
questions   about    her.      She   would    ask   "if    Belle 
Fanchon   used   to  walk   about  and  run  as  she  did 
through  the  paths  of  the  old  garden,  and  pick  the 
roses,  and  stand  under  the  orange-trees,  and  hear 
the  birds  sing,  and   the   laugh   of   the  brook  as   it 
wound  along  amongst  the  flowers  ?" 
And  I  would  say,  "  Yes,  I  spoze  so." 
And  then  she  would  say,  "  What  made  her  leave 
it  all  and  go  and  lie  down  there  under  the  grass  ?" 
And  I  would  say,  "  The  Lord  wanted  her." 
And  she  would  say,  "  Will  He  want  me  ?" 
And  I  would  hold  her  clost  to  my  heart,  and  say, 
"  Oh,  no,  darlin',   Grandma   hopes  not,   not  for  a 


212  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

long,  long  time,  not  till  these  old  eyes  are  closed 
many  and  many  a  year,"  I  would  say. 

"  But  if  He  should  want  me,"  she  would  go  on  to 
say  earnestly,  "  I  want  to  lie  down  by  the  little  girl 
in  the  garden.  She  wouldn't  be  so  lonesome  then 
in  dark  nights,  would  she,  if  she  had  another  little 
girl  close  by  her  ?" 

And  then  she  would  go  on  and  describe  it  to  me 
in  her  own  pretty  language  :  How  when  the  moon 
shone  silver  bright  and  the  shadows  lay  long  and 
white  over  the  little  girl's  grave  like  a  big,  lovin' 
hand,  it  would  cover  'em  both,  and  how  on  warm, 
sunshiny  mornin's  the  birds  would  sing  to  both  of 
'em,  and  the  roses  and  tall  lilies  bend  down  over 
both,  and  the  rivulet  would  talk  to  'em  as  it  went 
dancin'  by,  and — 

"  Don't  talk  so,  darlm',"  I  would  say,  "  Grandma 
don't  love  to  hear  you." 

And  then  mebby  she  would  see  the  shadow  on 
my  face,  and  she  would  put  up  her  little  hand  in  that 
tender  caress  that  wuz  better  than  kisses,  lay  it  on 
my  cheek,  and  brush  my  hair  back,  and  then  touch 
my  cheek  agin. 

And  mebby  the  very  next  minute  she  would  be  a 
askin'  me  some  deep  question  about  Jack  the  Giant 
Killer  or  the  Sleepin'  Beauty. 

She  had  a  very  active  mind,  very. 

And  she  wuz  a  beautiful  child.  Josiah  said,  and 
said  well,  that  she  went  fur  beyend  anything  on  the 
globe  for  beauty,  and  smartness,  and  goodness. 
And  Josiah  Allen  is  a  excellent  judge  of  children, 
excellent. 

But,  as  I  wuz  a  sayin',  Snow  loved  to  talk  about 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  213 

the  little  girl  who  had  been  mistress  of  this  pretty 
place  so  long  ago.  She  talked  about  her  a  sight. 
And  if  she  had  her  way  she  would  always  go  there 
to  play,  by  the  little  grave — carry  her  dollies  down 
there — Samantha  Maggie  Tirzah  Ann,  and  the  hull 
caboodle  of  'em — she  had  as  many  as  fourteen  of 
'em,  anyway — and  her  dolls'  cradles,  and  wagons, 
and  everything.  And  she  wuz  never  so  happy  as 
when  she  wuz  settled  down  there  in  that  corner. 

Wall,  it  wuz  pleasant  as  it  could  be.  How  clost 
the  little  rivulet  did  seem  to  hold  the  child's  grave 
in  its  dimpled  arm,  and  its  song  never  said  to  me  : 

"  My  arm  is  warm  and  faithful,  and  is  reaching 
out  and  reaching  out  to  fold  it  round  another  of  the 
nearest  ones  and  dearest,  and  guard  it,  hold  it  safe 
ly  trom  danger  and  from  trouble." 

No,  I  never  heard  this  in  its  song,  and  I  never 
heard  any  undertone  of  pity  for  hearts  that  would 
break  with  a  new  grief. 

No,  I  only  heard  low  murmurs  of  compassion  in 
its  liquid  tones  for  the  achin'  hearts  that  had  bent 
over  this  one  little  grave  long  ago. 

But  the  trees  always  did  seem  to  cast  greener, 
softer  shadows  here,  and  the  sunshine  and  moon 
light  to  rest  more  lovingly  on  it  than  on  any  other 
spot  in  the  hull  grounds.  And  I  didn't  wonder  at 
all  at  little  Snow's  fancy  for  it. 

Oh,  what  a  judgment  that  child  showed  in  every 
thing — it  was  a  sight  ! 

One  mornin'  I  wuz  a  settin'  out  on  the  veranda, 
and  I  see  her  as  usual  a  settin'  out  for  that  corner, 
Snow  with  her  arms  full  of  toys,  and  Genieve  wheel- 
in'  Boy  in  his  cart,  and  the  front  of  that  full  of 


214  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

Snow's  babies  settin'  up  stiff  and  straight,  a  starin' 
back  with  their  round,  blank  eyes  at  Boy's  pretty, 
laughin'  face. 

It  wuz  a  lovely  mornin'. 

The  dew  sparkled  on  the  grass,  and  the  walks  of 
white  shinin'  shells  which  had  been  washed  clean 
by  a  brisk,  short  rain  the  night  before,  shone  white 
and  silvery  through  the  fresh,  green  grass  borderin' 
'em  on  each  side. 

And  the  trees  tosted  out  their  shinin'  green 
branches,  and  the  glossy-leaved  shrubs  shook  out 
their  sweet-scented  flowers  on  the  balmy  air. 

The  climbin'  roses  bloomed  out  sweet  and  pink, 
the  orange-trees  gleamed  with  the  round  globes  of 
gold,  and  anon  clusters  of  posys  amongst  the  shinin' 
green  leaves. 

It  wuz  a  fair  seen,  a  fair  seen. 

And  I  sot  enjoyin'  it  to  the  full,  and  as  is  the  de 
praved  and  curius  nater  of  men  and  wimmen,  a  enjoy- 
in'  it  still  more  as  I  turned  to  it  from  the  pages  of  a 
voluminous  letter  I  had  jest  got  and  received  from 
Philury. 

Yes,  as  I  read  of  the  snow  piles,  and  the  dirty 
slosh  of  snow  and  mud  that  the  Jonesvillians  had  to 
wade  through  under  gray  skies  and  cotton  umberells, 
I  sot  with  a  deeper  gratitude  and  a  happier  frame  to 
my  mind  under  the  clear  blue  skies  of  the  balmy 
South  land,  amongst  the  beauties  and  summer  fra 
grance  of  Belle  Fanchon. 

There  wuz  another  letter  I  hadn't  read  yet  a  lay- 
in'  in  my  lap,  and  my  joyful  meditation  and  my 
comparisons  that  I  had  drawed,  and  drawed  so  fur, 
had  took  my  mind  from  it. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 


215 


But  anon,  as  I  turned  back  from  the  sight  of  Mag 
gie  and  Thomas  Jefferson  a  ridin'  off  through  the 
sunshine  towards  the  depot,  T  took  up  the  other  let- 


THE   JONESVILLIANS. 


ter,  and  as  I  opened  it  I  involuntarily  uttered  them 
words  which  have  sounded  out  from  my  lips  in  so 
many  crysisses  of  joy  or  pain.  I  sez  : 


2i6  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

"  Good  land  !  good  land  !" 

The  letter  wuz  from  John  Richard  Allen,  writ  for 
him  by  a  friend.  It  seems  that  he  had  seen  in  the 
village  paper  that  we  wuz  in  the  South  and  where 
we  wuz  ;  and  he  lay  sick  and  a  dyin',  as  they  said, 
in  a  little  hamlet  not  a  dozen  miles  away. 

I  read  the  letter,  and  then  went  imegiatly — for  to 
think  and  to  act  is  but  a  second  or  third  nater  to 
me — and  waked  up  my  pardner,  who  was  stretched 
out  on  a  bamboo  couch  on  the  other  end  of  the 
piazza  fast  asleep,  with  the  World  a  lay  in'  outstretched 
and  abject  at  his  feet.  And  I  then  told  him  the 
startlin'  truth  that  his  own  relation  on  his  own  side 
lay  sick  unto  death  less  than  a  dozen  miles  from  us. 

Wall,  that  noble  man  riz  right  up  as  I  would  have 
had  him  rozen  to  meet  the  exigencies  of  the  occasion. 

He  sez,  "  The  minute  our  children  get  back  we 
will  take  the  pony  and  drive  over  and  see  him." 

As  I  said,  they  had  gone  to  the  depot  to  meet 
visitors  from  Delaware— a  very  distinguished  cousin 
of  Maggie's  on  her  own  side,  who  had  writ  that  he 
wuz  a  goin'  to  pass  through  here  on  his  way  further 
South,  and  he  would  stop  off  a  day  or  two  with  'em 
— he  and  his  little  boy,  if  it  wuz  agreeable  to  them. 

I  had  hearn  a  sight  about  this  rich  Senator  Cole- 
man— Maggie's  father,  old  Squire  Snow,  wuz  dret- 
ful  proud  of  him. 

He  had  made  himself  mostly — or,  that  is,  had  fin 
ished  himself  off. 

He  went  to  Delaware  as  a  teacher,  and  married  a 
Miss  Fairfax,  a  very  rich  young  woman  down  there, 
settled  down  in  her  home,  went  into  business,  got 
independent  rich,  wuz  sent  to  Congress  and  Senate, 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM  2I^ 

and  had  a  hand  in  makin'  all  the  laws  of  his  State,  so 
I  hearn. 

He  wuz  now  takin'  a  tower  through  the  Southern 
States  with  his  motherless  boy,  little  Raymond  Fair 
fax  Coleman,  so  he  writ  (he  thought  his  eyes  on  him, 
and  jest  worshipped  the  memory  of  his  wife). 

Maggie  and  Thomas  J.  had  met  him  in  Washing 
ton  the  winter  before,  and  they  sort  o'  took  to  each 
other.  And  so  he  wuz  a  goin'  to  stop  off  a  few  days 
with  'em. 

Wall,  that  program  of  Josiah  Allen's  wuz  carried 
out  to  the  very  letter.  When  Thomas  J.  and  Mag 
gie  come  back  (the  Senator  didn't  come,  he  wuz  de 
layed,  and  sent  a  telegram  he  should  be  there  in  a 
week  or  two),  we  sot  off,  a  preparin'  to  come  back 
the  next  day  if  John  Richard  wuz  better,  but  a  lay- 
in'  out  to  stay  several  days  if  necessary. 

We  took  clothes  and  things,  and  I  a  not  forgettin', 
you  may  be  sure,  a  bottle  full  of  my  far-famed  spig- 
nut  syrup. 

Maggie  see  that  we  had  a  early  dinner  but  a  good 
one,  and  we  sot  sail  about  one  o'clock — Snow  a  rid- 
in'  with  us  as  fur  as  we  dasted  to  take  her,  and  a 
walkin'  back  agin,  watched  by  her  Ma  from  the  gate. 

Thomas  J.  and  Maggie  told  us  to  bring  John 
Richard  right  back  with  us  if  he  wuz  well  enough 
to  come,  and  they  would  help  take  care  of  him. 

Wall,  we  got  to  the  picturesque  little  place  called 
Howletts  Bridge  about  four  o'clock,  and  imegiatly 
made  inquiries  for  the  relation  on  his  side,  and  found 
out  where  he  wuzstayin'. 

He  wuz  boardin'  with  a  likely  Methodist  Episcopal 
couple,  elderly,  and  poor  but  well-principled. 


2l8  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

And  indeed  we  found  him  sick  enough. 

Miss  Elderkin — that  wuz  the  folkses  name  he  wuz  a 
boardin'  with,  good  creeters  as  I  ever  see,  if  they 
wuz  Southerners,  and  aristocratic  too,  brung  down 
by  loss  of  property  and  etc. — she  told  me  that 
Cousin  John  Richard  had  been  comin'  down  with 
this  lung  difficulty  for  years — overwork,  and  hard 
fare,  and  neglect  of  his  own  comfort  makin*  his  sick 
ness  harder  and  more  difficult  to  manage. 

Sez  she,  "He  is  one  of  the  saints  on  earth,  if 
there  ever  was  one." 

And  her  husband  said  the  same  thing,  which  I 
felt  that  I  could  indeed  depend  upon,  for  as  a  gen 
eral  thing  men  don't  get  so  diffuse  a  praisin'  up  each 
other,  and  callin'  each  other  angels  and  saints,  etc., 
and  men  hain't  drawed  away  by  their  pities  and 
their  sympathies  so  easy  as  wimmen  be,  nor  drawed 
so  fur. 

Wall,  Mr.  Elderkin  put  our  pony  in  the  barn,  and 
she  made  us  comfortable  with  a  cup  of  tea  and  some 
toast  with  a  poached  egg  on  top  of  it.  And  then  we 
went  in  to  see  the  patient. 

He  wuz  layin'  in  a  front  room,  ruther  bare-lookin', 
for  the  Elderkins  wuz  poor  enough  so  fur  as  this 
world's  goods  go,  but  rich  in  the  spirit. 

And  the  bare  floor,  and  whitewashed  walls,  and 
green  paper  curtains  looked  anything  but  luxurious, 
but  everything  wuz  clean. 

And  on  a  clean,  poor  bed  lay  the  relation  on  his 
side. 

He  looked  wan — wanner  fur  than  I  expected  to 
see  him  look,  though  I  wuz  prepared  lor  wanness. 
His  cheeks  wuz  fell  in,  and  his  eyes  wuz  holler,  but 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  219 

bright  still  with  that  glowin'  fire  that  always  seemed 
to  be  built  up  in  'em.  But  the  light  of  that  fire 
seemed  to  be  a  burnin'  down  pretty  low  now.  And 
he  looked  up  and  see  us  and  smiled. 

It  wuz  the  smile  of  a  homesick  child  fur  away  to 
school,  when  he  sees  his  own  folks  a  comin'  towards 
him  in  the  school-room. 

Poor  John  Richard  !  His  school  wuz  hard,  his 
lessons  had  been  severe,  but  he  had  tried  to  learn 
'em  all  jest  as  perfect  as  he  could,  and  the  Master 
wuz  pleased  with  his  work. 

But  now  he  wuz  sick.     He  wuz  a  sick  man. 

As  I  said,  he  smiled  as  he  see  Josiah  and  me  ad- 
vancin'  onto  him,  and  he  held  out  his  weak  hands, 
and  took  holt  of  ourn,  and  kep*  'em  in  hisen  for 
some  time,  and  sez  he  : 

"  I  am  glad— g/tfdf  to  see  you." 

He  wuz  interrupted  anon,  and  even  oftener,  by  his 
awful  cough  and  short,  painful  breathin'.  But  he 
gin  us  to  understand  that  he  wuz  dretful  glad  to  see 
us  once  more  before  he  passed  away. 

He  wuzn't  afraid  to  die — no,  indeed  !  There 
wuz  a  deep,  sweet  smile  in  his  eyes, x  and  his  lips 
seemed  to  hold  some  happy  and  divine  secret  as  he 
sez  : 

"  I  am  glad  to  go  home  ;  I  am  glad  to  rest." 

But  I  sez  in  a  cheerful  axent,  "  Cousin  John 
Richard,  you  hain't  a  goin'  to  die  ;"  sez  1,  "  By  the 
help  of  God  and  my  good  spignut  syrup  I  believe 
you  will  be  brung  up  agin." 

But  he  shet  up  his  eyes.  And  I  see  plain,  by  the 
look  of  his  face,  that  though  he  wuz  willin'  to  live 
and  work  if  it  wuz  God's  will,  he  wuz  still  more 


220 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 


ready  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ,  which  he  felt 
would  be  fur  better. 

But  it  wuzn't  my  way  to  stand  and  argue  with  a 
sick  man  -  back  and  forth  as  to  whether  he  wuz  a 
goin'  to  die  or  not. 

No,  I  laid  to,  helped  by  my  trusty  Josiah.     And 


BOY   LAUGHED. 


in  an  hour's  time  we  see  a  difference  in  his  breathing 
and  anon  he  fell  into  a  sweet  sleep. 

And  when  he  waked  up  that  man  looked  and  acted 
better.  And  three  days  and  nights  did  we  stay  by 
him,  a  doctorin'  him  up  and  a  gettin'  him  nourishin' 
things  to  eat,  and  a  talkin'  encouragin*  and  pleasant 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  221 

things  to  him  (good  land  !  the  soul  and  mind  has 
got  to  be  fed  as  well  as  the  body  if  you  don't  want 
to  starve  to  death  inwardly).  And  lo  and  behold  ! 
when  we  left  Howletts  Bridge  and  returned  to  Belle 
Fanchon,  who  should  accompany  us  thither  but 
Cousin  John  Richard  Allen  ! 

He  had  consented,  after  a  deep  parley,  to  go  there 
and  rest  off  for  a  few  weeks. 

Maggie  and  Thomas  J.  took  to  him  from  the  very 
first,  and  give  him  a  hearty  welcome  and  the  best 
bedroom.  They  appreciated  the  noble,  martyrous 
life  he  had  led,  and  honored  him  for  it. 

And  the  children  acted  dretful  tickled  to  see  him. 
You  needn't  tell  me  but  what  Boy  knew  all  about  it 
when  I  introduced  Cousin  John  Richard  to  him. 
To  be  sure,  he  wuzn't  only  six  months  old. 

But  if  he  didn't  know  him,  and  if  he  wuzn't  glad 
to  see  the  relation  on  his  grandmother's  side,  what 
made  him  laugh  all  over  his  face,  eyes  and  all  ? 

I  presume  the  Doctor  would  have  called  it 
"  wind."  But  I  called  it  perfect  courtesy  and  good 
manners  towards  a  honored  and  onexpected  guest. 
That  is  what  I  called  it.  He  acted  like  a  perfect 
little  gentleman,  and  I  wuz  proud  of  him. 

Snow,  the  sweet  darlin',  went  right  up  to  him, 
with  her  little  snowflake  of  a  hand  held  out  in  a 
warm  welcome,  and  kissed  him  jest  as  she  did  her 
Grandpa.  Oh,  what  a  child— what  a  child  for  be 
havior  !  I  never  see  her  equal,  and  don't  expect 
to — nor  Josiah  don't  either. 

Wall,  Cousin  John  Richard  jest  settled  down  in 
that  sweet,  lovin'  home  into  a  perfect,  happy  rest — 
to  all  appearances —and  gained  every  day. 


222  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

Victor  and  Genieve  thought  everything  of  him 
from  the  first  time  they  laid  eyes  on  him.  And  they 
couldn't  do  enough  for  him  seemingly.  They  had 
heard  about  his  life  and  labor  amongst  their  own 
people,  and  they  tried  in  every  way  to  show  their 
gratitude  and  affection. 

Victor  and  he  talked  together  for  hours,  and  so 
did  he  and  Genieve  about  the  plans  for  the  colony. 
And  first  I  knew,  Cousin  John  Richard  told  Josiah 
and  me  that  he  had  made  up  his  mind  to  go  with 
them  to  Africa. 

The  Doctor  had  told  him  that  a  long  sea  voyage 
would  be  the  best  of  anything  for  his  lungs.  And 
so,  as  he  wuz  bound  to  spend  his  life  for  this  people, 
I  couldn't  see,  and  Josiah  couldn't,  why  it  shouldn't 
be  in  Africa  as  well  as  America,  specially  as  he  had 
a  better  chance  to  live  by  goin'  there. 

And  so  we  gin  our  consents  in  our  own  minds, 
and  showed  our  two  willingnesses  to  him,  and  the 
matter  wuz  settled. 

He  had  only  two  children  left  now,  and  they  wuz 
married  and  settled  down  in  homes  of  their  own, 
and  in  a  good  business.  So  he  had  no  hamperin' 
ties  to  bind  him  to  this  land.  And  he  "felt  that  the 
Lord  wuz  a  pintin'  out  to  him  the  path  of  Duty  over 
the  sea. 

And  I  wuzn't  the  one  to  dispute  him — no,  indeed  ! 
And  I  felt  that  his  calm  good  sense  and  undaunted 
Christian  spirit  and  Gospel  teachings  would  be  a  per 
fect  boon  to  the  colony. 

So  it  wuz  settled.  And  I  imegiatly  went  to  work, 
Maggie  and  I,  to  make  him  a  full  dozen  of  shirts, 
twelve  day  ones  and  six  nights. 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  223 

And  we  prepared  him  a  better  assortment  of  socks 
and  handkerchiefs,  and  collars,  and  cuffs,  and  such 
than  he  had  ever  dremp  of,  I'll  venture  to  say,  sence 
he  lost  his  companion,  anyway. 

Wall,  it  wuzn't  more'n  several  days  after  this  that 
the  relation  of  Maggie's — Senator  Coleman — bein' 
sot  free  from  hampers,  writ  agin,  and  also  telc- 


RAYMOND    FAIRFAX   COLEMAN. 

grafted,  that  he  would  be  at  the  station  that  day  at 
five  o'clock. 

So,  Maggie  and  Thomas  J.  rid  over  agin,  and  bein' 
luckier  this  time,  they  come  a  ridin'  back  in  due 
time  with  her  relation  a  settin'  up  by  her  side,  big 
as  life,  and  the  boy,  Raymond  Fairfax  Coleman,  a 
settin'  on  the  front  seat  by  Thomas  Jefferson. 

The  boy's  name  seemed  bigger  than  he  wuz,  bein' 
a  little,  pale  runt  of  a  child  with  long,  silky  hair  and 
a  black  velvet  suit — dretful  small  for  his  age,  about 


224  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

seven  years  old.  But  I  spoze  his  long  curls  of  light 
hair  and  his  lace  collar  made  him  seem  younger, 
and  his  childish  way  of  talkin' — he  had  been  babied 
a  good  deal  I  could  see.  And  when  he  would  fix  his 
big  blue  eyes  on  you  with  that  sort  of  a  confidin', 
perplexed,  childish  look  in  'em,  I  declare  for't  he 
didn't  look  so  old  as  Boy. 

But  he  wuz  seven  years  old,  so  his  Pa  told  me. 

His  Pa  wuz  as  big  and  important- lookin'  as  Ray 
mond  wuz  insignificant.  And  I  sez  to  Josiah  the  first 
chance  I  got,  out  to  one  side,  sez  I  : 

"  I've  hearn  a  sight  from  old  Judge  Snow  about 
this  relation  of  hisen  bein'  a  self-made  man  ;"  and 
sez  I,  "If  he  did  make  himself,  he  did  up  the  job  in 
quite  a  good  shape,  didn't  he  ?" 

Josiah  can't  bear  to  have  me  praise  up  any  man, 
married  or  single,  bond  or  free,  only  jest  himself, 
and  he  sez  : 

"  If  I  had  made  him  I  would  have  put  in  some 
improvements  on  him.  I  wouldn't  have  had  him  so 
cussed  big  feelin'  for  one  thing." 

I  wuz  deeply  mortified  to  hear  him  use  that 
wicked  word,  and  told  him  so. 

But  I  couldn't  help  seein'  that  Josiah  wuz  right  in 
thinkin'  Senator  Coleman  wuz  proud  and  high-head 
ed,  for  truly  he  wuz.  His  head  wuz  right  up  in  the 
air,  and  he  sort  o*  leaned  back  when  he  walked,  and 
over  his  portly  stomach  hung  a  glitterin'  watch-chain 
that  he  sort  o'  fingered  and  played  with  as  he  walked 
about,  and  he  had  some  diamonds  a  flashin'  on  his 
little  finger,  and  his  shirt-front,  and  cuffs. 

His  eyes  wuz  a  bright  blue  and  as  bold  and  pierc- 
in'  looking  as  Raymond's  wuz  gentle  and  helpless, 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 


225 


and  his  mustache  and  short  hair  wuz  a  sort  of  a  iron 
gray  ;  and  his  face  bein'  florid  and  his  features  good, 
he  made  a  handsome  appearance  ;  and  Maggie,  I 


"WITH  A  JUMPIN'  TOOTHACHE." 

could  see,  wuz  quite  proud  of  the   relation  on  her 
side. 

Wall,  we  had  a  good  warm  supper  all  ready  for 


226  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

'em,  Maggie's  cook  bein'  sort  o'  helpless  that  day 
with  a  jumpin'  toothache  (it  jumped  worse  after 
Maggie  went  away  and  she  see  in  me  a  willingness 
to  help  her  get  supper). 

I  laid  holt  and  got  the  most  of  the  supper  myself, 
and  it  wuz  a  good  one,  if  I  hadn't  ort  to  say  it. 

Two  plump  spring  fowls  roasted  to  a  delicate 
brown,  some  sliced  potatoes  warmed  up  in  cream, 
some  hot  cream  biscuit  ;  and  I  had  splendid  luck 
with  'em — they  wuz  jest  as  light  and  flaky  and  tender 
as  they  could  be.  And  some  perfectly  delicious 
coffee.  I  thought  the  fragrance  of  that  coffee  would 
steam  up  invitingly  into  Senator  Coleman's  nostrils, 
after  a  hard  day's  journey. 

And  if  the  relation  had  been  on  Thomas  Jeffer 
son's  side  I  couldn't  have  set  out  to  do  better  by 
him  ;  I  am  good  to  my  daughter-in-law — anybody 
will  tell  you  so  that  has  seen  me  behave  to  her. 

Aunt  Mela,  the  cook,  by  bendin'  all  her  energies 
onto  'em,  had  made  a  tomato  salad  and  some  veal 
croquettes.  I  hain't  partial  to  'em,  but  want  every 
body  to  be  suited  in  the  line  of  vittles,  and  Maggie 
loves  'em. 

And  then  on  the  sideboard  wuz  cake,  and  jellies, 
and  fresh  berries  heaped  up  in  crimson  beauty  on 
some  china  plates,  and  the  table  had  posys  on  it  and 
looked  well. 

The  cook's  teeth  stopped  achin'  about  the  time  the 
supper  wuz  all  ready — it  seemed  to  give  its  last  hard 
jump  about  the  time  I  made  the  biscuit.  I  had  pro 
posed  to  have  her  make  'em,  but  I  see  it  wouldn't  do. 

Wall,  Maggie  wuz  delighted  with  the  supper,  and 
her  relation  eat  more  than  wuz  good  for  him,  I 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  227 

wuz  afraid — five  wuz  the  number  of  the  biscuit  he 
consumed  (they  wuzn't  so  very  large),  and  three  cups 
of  coffee  kep'  'em  company. 

Maggie  told  him  who  made  'em,  and  he  compli 
mented  me  so  warmly  (though  still  high-headed) 
that  Josiah  looked  cross  as  a  bear. 

Wall,  the  Senator  seemed  to  like  it  at  Belle  Fan- 
chon  first  rate  ;  and  as  for  Raymond  Fairfax  Cole- 
man,  he  jest  revelled  in  the  warm  home  atmosphere 
and  the  lovin'  attentions  that  wuz  showered  down 
onto  him. 

Poor  little  motherless  creeter  !  He  played  with 
Snow,  lugged  her  dolls  round  for  her,  and  dragged 
Boy  in  his  little  covered  carriage,  and  seemed  to  be 
jest  about  as  much  of  a  baby  as  our  Boy. 

If  you  think  our  boy  didn't  have  any  other  name 
than  Boy,  there  is  where  you  are  mistaken.  His 
name  wuz  Robert  Josiah  from  his  birth — after  his 
two  grandpas  ;  but  Thomas  Jefferson  wuz  so  pleased 
to  think  he  wuz  a  boy  that  he  got  in  the  habit  of 
callin'  him  Boy,  and  we  all  joined  in  and  followed 
on  after  him,  as  is  the  habit  of  human  bein's  or 
sheep.  You  know  how  the  him  reads  : 

"  First  a  daughter  and  then  a  son, 
Then  the  world  is  well  begun." 

I  spoze  Thomas  J.  had  this  in  mind  when  he  wuz 
so  tickled  at  the  birth  of  Boy. 

But  howsomever  and  tenny  rate,  we  all  called  him 
Boy.  And  he  knew  the  name,  and  would  laugh  and 
dimple  all  over  in  his  pretty  glee  when  we  would 
call  him. 

Wall,  I  would  take  little  Raymond  up  on  my  lap, 


228  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

and  tell  him  stories,  and  pet  him,  and  Maggie  would 
mother  him  jest  as  she  would  Snow,  and  we  wuz 
both  on  us  sorry  for  him  as  sorry  could  be  to  think 
of  his  forlorn  little  state. 

Riches,  and  fame,  and  even  his  big  name  couldn't 
make  up  for  the  loss  of  the  tender  counsels  and 
broodin'  love  of  a  mother. 

His  father  jest  thought  his  eyes  on  him.  But  he 
couldn't  seem  to  stop  fumblin'  that  watch-chain  of 
hisen,  and  stop  a  talkin'  them  big  words,  and  de 
scend  from  his  ambitious  plans  of  self-advancement 
to  come  down  to  his  little  boy's  level  and  talk  to  him 
in  a  lovin'  way. 

Little  Raymond  looked  up  to  his  Pa  with  a  sort 
of  a  admirin'  awe,  jest  about  as  the  Jonesville  chil 
dren  would  to  the  President. 

I  believe  Senator  Coleman  had  ambitions  to  be 
one.  I  believe  my  soul  he  did.  Anyway,  his  am 
bitions  wuz  all  personal.  Havin'  made  himself  so 
fur,  he  wuz  bound  to  put  all  the  adornin's  and  em- 
bellishin's  onto  his  work  that  he  could. 

I  see  that  he  wanted  to  be  made  President  to 
once,  and  the  thought  that  the  nation  wouldn't  do  it 
rankled  in  him. 

And  the  fear  that  somebody  else  wuz  a  goin'  to 
get  higher  than  he  wuz  in  political  life  wore  on  him. 

His  sharp,  piercin'  eyes  wuz  a  watchin'  the  ever- 
shiftin'  horizon  of  our  national  affairs,  the  ever- 
changin'  winds  of  public  favor,  hopin'  they  would 
blow  him  up  into  greater  prominence,  fearin'  they 
would  dash  him  down  into  a  lower  place. 

The  feverishness  of  perpetual  onrest  seemed  to  be 
a  burnin'  him  all  the  time,  and  the  fear  that  he 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  229 

should  do  or  say  sunthin'  to  incur  the  displeasure 
of  the  multitude. 

What  a  time,  what  a  time  he  wuz  a  havin'  ! 

You  could  see  it  all  in  his  linement  ;  yes,  ambi 
tion  and  selfishness  had  ploughed  lots  of  lines  in  his 
handsome  face,  and  ploughed  'em  deep. 

I  used  to  look  at  him  and  then  at  Cousin  John 
Richard  Allen,  and  contrast  the  two  men  in  my 
own  mind,  and  the  contrast  wuz  a  big  and  hefty 
one. 

Now,  Cousin  John  Richard's  face  wuz  peaceful 
and  serene,  though  considerable  worn-lookin'.  He 
had  gin  his  hull  life  for  the  True  and  Right,  had 
gone  right  on,  no  matter  how  much  he  wuz  misunder 
stood  and  despised  of  men,  and  labored  in  season 
and  out  of  season  for  the  poor  and  downtrodden  of 
earth,  without  any  hope  of  earthly  reward — nay, 
with  the  certainty  of  the  world's  contempt  and  criti 
cism. 

But  the  blame  or  praise  of  the  multitude  seemed 
so  fur  off  to  him  that  he  could  scarcely  hear  it  ;  the 
confusin'  babble  seemed  to  him  only  like  a  distant 
murmurous  background  for  the  close  voice  of  the 
Master,  who  walked  with  him,  and  told  him  what  to 
do  from  day  to  day  and  from  hour  to  hour. 

'  Blessed  are  ye  if  ye  hear  my  voice." 

'  Ye  that  are  strong,  bear  the  burdens  of  the 
weak." 

"  If  ye  love  me  feed  my  lambs." 

"  And  lo,  I  am  with  you  to  the  end  of  the  world." 

These  wuz  some  of  the  words  Cousin  John  Rich 
ard  heard,  and  his  face  shone  as  he  listened  to  'em. 

He  had  not  sent  out  his  ships  on  earthly  waters  ; 


"THE  RELATION  ON  MAGGIE'S  SIDE." 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  231 

and  so,  let  the  winds  blow  high  or  the  winds  blow 
low,  he  did  not  fear  any  tempestuous  waves  and 
storms  reachin'  their  sails. 

No,  he  had  sent  his  ships  into  a  safer  harbor  ;  they 
wuz  anchored  in  that  divine  sea  where  no  storms 
can  ever  come. 

And  his  face  wuz  calm  with  the  heavenly  calm 
ness  and  peace  of  that  sure  harbor,  that  waveless 
sea. 

Wall,  the  relation  on  Maggie's  side  seemed  to 
take  a  good  deal  of  comfort  a  walkin'  round  with 
his  head  up  and  his  hand  a  playin'  with  that  heavy 
gold  chain. 

Good  land  !  I  should  have  thought  he  would 
have  wore  it  out — he  would  if  it  hadn't  been  made 
of  good  stuff. 

And  he  would  converse  with  Thomas  Jefferson 
about  political  matters,  and  talk  some  with  my 
Josiah  and  Cousin  John — not  much  with  the  latter, 
because  they  wuzn't  congenial,  as  I  have  hinted  at  ; 
and  Cousin  John  Richard  seemed  to  take  as  much 
agin  comfort  a  bein'  off  with  the  children,  or  a  lay- 
in'  in  the  green  grass  a  watchin'  the  butterflies,  or  a 
talkin'  with  Genieve  and  Victor. 

And  the  Senator  would  compliment  Maggie  up  to 
the  skies.  He  wuz  more'n  polite  to  females,  as  is 
the  way  with  such  men  ;  and  he  v/ould  write  letters 
by  the  bushel,  and  get  as  many  of  'em  or  more,  and 
telegrams,  and  such.  And  little  Raymond,  poor  lit 
tle  creeter,  I  believe  took  more  comfort  than  he  had 
before  for  some  time. 

He  wuzn't  very  deep,  as  I  could  see,  he  didn't  act 
over  and  above  smart  ;  but  then,  I  sez  to  myself  real 


232  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

ironikle,  mebby  this  dulness  is  caused  by  lookin'  at 
the  sun  so  much  (his  Pa  used  as  a  metafor). 

And  then  what  could  you  expect  of  a  child  of 
seven  ?  he  wuzn't  much  more'n  a  baby.  Good  land  ! 
I  used  to  hold  Thomas  Jefferson  in  my  lap  and  baby 
him  till  he  wuz  nine  or  ten  years  old,  and  his  legs 
dragged  on  the  floor,  he  wuz  so  tall. 

I  thought  like  as  not  Raymond  Fairfax  Coleman 
would  take  a  turn  after  a  while  and  live  up  to  the 
privileges  of  his  name  and  be  quite  smart. 

He  took  a  great  fancy  to  Rosy's  baby,  and  it  was 
as  cunnin'  a  little  black  image  as  I  ever  see,  jest  a 
beginnin'  to  be  playful  and  full  of  laugh. 

Raymond  would  carry  it  down  candy  and  oranges, 
and  give  him  nickels  and  little  silver  pieces  to  put 
into  his  savings-bank. 

I  gin  that  bank  myself  to  little  Thomas  Jefferson 
Washington,  for  that  wuz  the  name  his  Pa  and  Ma 
had  gin  him — we  called  him  Tommy.  They  gin 
him  the  name  of  Thomas  Jefferson,  I  spoze,  to  honor 
the  name  of  my  son,  and  then  put  on  the  Washing 
ton  to  kinder  prop  up  the  memory  of  the  Father  of 
our  Country,  or  so  I  spoze. 

I  gin  him  that  bank  to  try  to  give  his  Pa  and  Ma 
some  idee  of  savin'  for  a  rainy  day,  and  days  when 
it  didn't  rain. 

It  wuz  very  nice,  in  the  form  of  a  meetin' 
house — you  put  the  money  down  through  the  stee- 
pie. 

I  thought  mebby,  bein'  it  wuz  in  this  shape,  it 
would  sort  o'  turn  their  minds  onto  meetin'  houses 
and  such  moral  idees. 

Well,   finally,  one  mornin'   early   we  heard,  clear 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  233 

up  in  our  room,  Senator  Coleman  makin'  a  great  hue 
and  cry. 

We  hearn  his  voice  lifted  up  high  in  agitation  and 
exhortation,  and  I  sez  to  my  pardner  : 

"  What  under  the  sun  is  the  matter  with  the  rela 
tion  on  Maggie's  side  ?" 

And  Josiah  said,  and  it  pains  me  to  record  it  : 

"  He  didn't  know,  and  he  didn't  care  a  dumb." 

He  never  liked  Senator  Coleman  for  a  minute. 

But  as  we  descended  down  to  breakfast  we  soon 
found  out  and  discovered  what  wuz  the  matter. 
Little  Raymond  (poor  little  babyish  creeter  !),  a  not 
mistrustin'  its  real  value,  had  took  a  valuable  dia 
mond  locket  and  gin  it  to  little  Tommy. 

It  wuz  a  very  valuable  locket,  with  seven  great 
diamonds  in  it.  It  wuz  one  that  the  Senator's  dead 
wife  had  gin  him  when  they  wuz  first  married,  and 
had  their  two  names  writ  on  it,  and  inside  a  lock  of 
their  two  hairs. 

It  wuz  one  of  the  most  precious  things  in  the 
Senator's  hull  possessions  ;  and  thinkin'  so  much  of 
it,  he  couldn't  make  up  his  mind  to  leave  it  to  his 
banker's  with  the  rest  of  his  jewelry  and  plate,  but 
he  kept  it  with  him,  with  a  little  ivory  miniature  of 
sweet  Kate  Fairfax  when  she  first  become  his  girl- 
ish  bride. 

The  relation  on  Maggie's  side  did  have  one  or 
two  soft  spots  in  his  nater,  and  one  of  'em  wuz  his 
adoration  of  his  dead  wife,  and  his  clingin'  love  for 
anything  that  had  belonged  to  her,  and  the  other 
wuz  his  love  for  his  child— more  because  it  wuz  her 
child,  I  do  believe,  than  because  it  wuz  his  own. 

Them   two  soft  places  wuz  oasis'es,  as  you  may 


234  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

say,  in  his  nater.  All  the  desert  round  'em  wuz  full 
of  the  rocky,  sandy  soil  of  ambition,  feverish  ex 
pectations,  and  aims  and  plans  for  political  advance 
ment. 

Wall,  Raymond  had  took  this  locket  and  gin  it  to 
Rosy's  baby.  His  Pa  had  told  him  it  would  be 
hisen  some  time,  and  he  thought  it  wuz  hisen  now. 

Poor  little  creeter  !  he  didn't  have  no  more  idee 
of  the  value  on't  than  a  Hottentot  has  of  snow 
ploughs,  or  than  we  have  as  to  what  the  folks  up  in 
Jupiter  are  a  havin'  for  dinner.  . 

And  he  sot  by  the  winder  a  cryin'  as  if  his  poor 
little  childish  heart  would  break,  and  the  Senator 
wuz  hoppin'  mad. 

But  neither  the  tears  nor  the  anger  could  bring 
back  the  jewel — it  wuz  lost.  Thomas  J.  of  course 
had  gone  down  to  the  coachman's  cottage  to  make 
inquiries  about  it,  accompanied  by  the  distracted 
statesman.  But  of  course  Rosy  had  lied  about  it ; 
she  said  little  Tom,  three  days  before,  jest  after 
Raymond  had  gin  it  to  him,  had  dropped  it  into  the 
river. 

But  nobody  believed  it.  How  could  that  infant 
have  dropped  it  into  the  river  more'n  a  mile  off  ? 

No  ;  we  all  spozed  that  Rosy,  a  naterel  thief  and 
liar,  had  passed  it  on  to  some  other  thief,  and  it  wuz 
all  broke  to  pieces  and  the  diamonds  hid  away  and 
passed  on  out  of  reach. 

The  strictest  search  hadn't  amounted  to  nuthin'. 
Wall,  I  didn't  say  much  about  it  till  after  breakfast 
— my  manners  wuz  too  perfect  for  that,  and  then  I 
wuz  hungry  myself.  And  I  felt  that  I  had  some 
things  I  wanted  to  say,  and  I  didn't  want  to  say  'em 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM,  235 

on  a  empty  stomach,  and  didn't  want  'em  hearn  on 
one. 

After  breakfast  the  Senator  begun  agin  on  the 
subject,  and  kep'  it  up.  And  I  did  feel  sorry  for 
him  from  the  bottom  of  my  heart,  for,  if  you'll  be 
lieve  it,  as  we  sot  there  alone  in  the  settin'  room 
after  breakfast,  that  man  cried — or,  that  is,  the  tears 
come  fast  into  his  eyes  when  he  talked  about  it. 

And  I  gin  the  man  credit  where  credit  wuz  due  ; 
it  wuzn't  the  money  worth  of  the  gem  that  he  cared 
for,  though  it  wuz  very  valuable. 

No  ;  it  wuz  the  memory  of  lovely  Kate  Fairfax, 
and  the  blendin'  of  their  two  names  on  it,  and  a  part 
of  their  two  selves,  as  you  may  say — the  curl  of  her 
golden  hair  twisted  in  with  his  dark  locks.  And  all 
the  tender  memories  of  the  happy  time  when  she 
gin  him  this  jewel  with  her  first  true  love,  and  he 
gin  her  his  hull  heart.  Memories  bitter-sweet  now 
as  he  mourned  his  losses. 

Wall,  I  see  the  Senator  wuz  all  melted  down  and 
broke  up  ;  and  as  is  my  way,  havin'  the  good  of  the 
human  race  on  my  mind  and  heart,  and  havin'  to  do 
for  'em  all  the  while,  I  see  that  now  wuz  the  very 
time  for  me  to  tackle  the  relation  from  Delaware 
about  a  matter  that  I  had  long  wanted  to  tackle  him 
on,  concernin'  a  law  of  his  own  State — 

A  statute  so  full  of  burnin'  injustice,  and  shame, 
and  disgrace  that  it  wuz  a  wonder  to  me,  and  had 
been  for  some  time,  that  the  very  stuns  along  the 
banks  of  the  Delaware  didn't  cry  out  to  its  Senators 
as  they  passed  along  to  and  from  their  law-makin' 
expeditions. 

And  when  he  wuz  a  goin'  on  the  very  worst  about 


236  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

Raymond's  doin'  such  a  dretful  thing,  and  what  a 
irreparable  loss  it  wuz,  I  spoke  up,  and  sez  I,  "  Why, 
Raymond  had  a  right  to  it,  didn't  he  ?" 

"A  right?"  he  thundered  out  in  his  agitation, 
"  a  right  to  throw  away  this  priceless  jewel  ?  What 
do  you  mean,  madam  ?" 

"Why,"  sez  I  calmly  (for  I  wuz  a  workin*  for 
Duty  and  Right  ;  and  they  always  brace  me  up  and 
keep  me  calm),  "  Raymond  has  passed  the  age  of 
consent,  hasn't  he?"  He  wuz  a  few  days  over 
seven  years  old. 

"What!!!"  cries  the  Senator,  "what  do  you 
mean?" 

'  Why,  children  in  your  State  can  consent  to 
their  own  ruin  if  they  are  over  seven." 

"  It  is  girls  that  can  do  this,"  hollered  the  Senator 
from  Delaware,  "  it  hain't  boys." 
But  I  went  on  calm  as  I  could  : 

'  What  are  a  few  diamonds,  that  can  be  bought 
and  sold,  to  be  compared  to  the  downfall  of  all  hope 
and  happiness,  the  contempt  and  derision  of  the 
world,  the  ruin  of  a  life,  and  the  loss  of  a  immortal 
soul  ?  And  your  laws  grant  this  privilege  to  chil 
dren  if  they  are  a  day  or  two  over  seven." 

'  That  law  was  made  for  girls,"  cried  the  Sena 
tor  agin  in  stentorian  axents. 

'  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  men  made  that  law,  and  girls  and 
wimmen  have  to  stand  it.  But,"  sez  I,  lookin'  and 
actin'  considerable  fierce,  as  the  mighty  shame  and 
disgrace  of  that  law  come  over  me,  "it  is  a  law  so 
infamus  that  I  should  think  the  old  Atlantic  herself 
(bein'  a  female,  as  is  spozed)  would  jest  rare  herself 
up  and  wash  over  the  hull  land,  to  try  to  wipe  out 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


237 


or  bury  the  horrible  disgrace  that  has  been  put  upon 
her  sect — would  swash  up  and  cover  your  little 
State  completely  up — it  ort  to,  and  hide  it  forever 
from  the  heavens  and  the  eye  of  females." 

That  man  begun  to  quail,  I  see  he  did.  But  the 
thought  of  Snow,  the  darlin',  and  our  dear  Babe  at 
Jonesville  nerved  me  up  agin — the  thought  of  them, 


BABE. 


our  own  treasures,  and  the  hosts  of  pretty  children 
all  over  our  land,  beloved  by  some  hearts  jest  as 
dearly  as  our  children  wuz. 

And  I  went  on  more  fiery  than  I  had  went,  as  I 
thought,  why  Babe  is  old  enough  now,  and  Snow 
will  be  in  a  little  while,  to  lay  their  sweet  little  lives 
down  under  this  Jugernut  built  up  by  the  vile  pas- 


238  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

sions  of  men,  and  goin'  ahead  of  Isaac,  lay  them 
selves  on  the  altar,  take  their  own  lives,  and  build 
up  the  fire  to  consume  'em. 

"  The  idee  of  law-makers  who  call  themselves 
wise  makin'  such  laws  as  these  !" 

He  stopped  a  handlin'  that  watch-chain  of  hisen, 
his  head  drooped,  his  hands  dropped  demutely  into 
his  lap.  He  murmured  sunthin'  almost  mechani 
cally  about  "the  law  being  on  the  statute-book." 

"  I  know  it  is,"  sez  I.  '  I  know  the  law  is  there. 
But  let  wimmen  have  a  chance  to  vote  ;  let  a  few 
mothers  and  grandmothers  get  holt  of  that  statute- 
book,  and  see  where  that  law  would  be." 

Sez  I  eloquently,  "  No  spring  cleanin'  and  scour- 
in'  wuz  ever  done  by  females  so  thorough  as  they 
would  cleanse  out  them  old  law  books  and  let  a  lit 
tle  of  God's  purity  and  justice  shine  into  their  musty 
old  pages." 

Sez  I,  "  You  made  a  great  ado  about  Raymond 
losin'  that  locket  because  it  wuz  precious  with  the 
memories  of  your  lost  wife — you  treasured  it  as  your 
most  dear  possession  because  it  held  a  lock  of  her 
hair,  because  she  gin  it  to  you,  and  her  love  and 
tenderness  seemed  shinin'  out  of  every  jewel  in  it. 

"  But  how  would  it  be  with  a  child  that  a  mother 
left  as  a  souvenir  of  her  deathless  love,  a  part  of  her 
own  life  left  to  a  broken-hearted  husband  ?  Would 
a  man  who  held  such  a  child,  such  a  little  daughter 
to  his  achin'  heart,  do  and  make  a  law  by  which  the 
child  could  be  lost  and  ruined  forever  ? 

"  No  ;  the  men  that  make  these  laws  make  'em 
for  other  folks'es  children,  not  their  own.  It  is 
other  fathers'  girls  that  they  doom  to  ruin.  When 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


239 


they  license  shameful  houses  it  hain't  their  own 
pretty  daughters  that  they  picture  under  the  in- 
famus  ruffs,  despised  playthings  for  brutality  and 
lust.  No  ;  it  is  some  other  parents'  daughters." 

My  tone  had  been  awful  eloquent  and  riz  up,  for 
nobody  but  the  Lord  knew  how  deeply  I  felt  all  I 


"MY   TONE   RIZ   UP.' 


had  said,  and  more  than  I  ever  could  say  on  the 
subject. 

And  I  spoze  I  looked  lofty  and  noble  in  my  mean 
— I  spoze  so. 

Anyway,  Senator  Coleman  quailed  to  a  extent 
that  I  hardly  ever  see  quailed  in  my  hull  life,  and  I 


240  SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

have  seen  lots  of  quailin'  in  my  day.  And  I  pressed 
home  the  charge. 

Sez  T,  "  You  say  this  law  wuz  made  for  girls  ;  but 
what  if  this  boy  that  your  sweet  Kate  Fairfax  left 
you  had  happened  to  be  a  girl,  and  had  gin  away  all 
that  makes  life  worth  living,  how  would  you  have 
felt  then,  Senator  Coleman  ? 

"  How  would  you  feel  a  thinkin'  that  you  had  got 
to  meet  her  lovin',  questionin'  eyes  up  in  heaven, 
and  when  she  asked  you  what  you  had  done  with 
her  child  you  would  have  to  say  that  you  had  spent 
all  your  life  a  tryin'  to  pass  laws  that  wuz  the  ruina 
tion  of  her  darlin'  ;  that  you  had  done  your  best  to 
frame  laws  so  that  them  that  prey  upon  innocence 
and  childish  ignorance  could  go  unpunished,  and 
that  the  blood  of  these  souls,  the  agony  of  breakin' 
hearts  wuz  a  layin'  at  your  door  ? 

"  How  could  you  meet  them  sweet,  lovin'  eyes 
and  have  to  tell  her  this  ?" 

He  jest  crumpled  right  down,  and  almost  buried 
his  face  in  his  white  linen  handkerchief,  and  give 
vent  to  some  low  groans  that  wuz  damp  with  tears. 

That  man  had  never  had  the  truth  brung  right 
home  to  him  before,  and  he  trembled  and  he  shrunk 
before  it. 

And  he  promised  me  then  and  there  that  he  would 
turn  right  round  and  do  his  very  best  to  make  laws 
to  protect  innocence  and  ignorance  and  to  purify 
the  hull  statute-book  all  he  could  ;  and  I  felt  that  he 
had  tackled  a  hard  job,  but  I  believed  he  would  try 
his  best.  I  guess  he  means  to  tell  the  truth. 

And  I  wuz  almost  overpolite  to  him  after  this,  not 
wantin'  to  do  or  say  a  thing  to  break  up  his  good 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  241 

intentions  ;  and  when  he  went  away  he  gin  me  a 
dretful  meanin',  earnest  look,  and  sez  he  : 

4  You  can  depend  upon  me  to  keep  my  word." 

And  I  believed  he  would. 

Poor  little  Raymond  cried  when  he  went  away, 
cried  and  wept. 

But  the  Senator  promised  to  let  him  come  back 
before  a  great  while  for  a  good  long  visit — that  com 
forted  him  a  little.  And  we  all  kissed  him  and  made 
much  of  him  ;  and  Snow,  with  the  tears  a  standin*  in 
her  sweet  eyes,  offered  to  gin  him  the  doll  she  loves 
best— Samantha  Maggie  Tirzah  Ann— if  it  would  be 
any  help  to  him.  But  he  said  he  had  ruther  have 
her  keep  it.  And  I  believe  he  told  the  truth. 

He  is  a  good  child. 


I   HAD   BEEN   OUT   A   WALKIN*.' 


CHAPTER   XL 

HAD  been  out  a  vvalkin'  one  day,  and 
when  I  got  back  and  went  into  the  set- 
tin'  room,  I  see  there  wuz  a  visitor  there, 
and,  lo  and  behold,  when  I  wuz  introduced 
to  him  it  wuz  Col.  Seybert ! 

He  wuz  dretful  polite — and  I  know  well 
what  belongs  to  good  manners— and  so  I  didn't 
turn  my  back  to  him  and  walk  off  with  my  cap- 
strings  a  wavin'  back  in  a  indignant,  scornful  way. 

No  ;  he  wuz  a  neighbor,  and  my  son  and  daughter 
wuz  a  neighborin'  with  him,  so  I  treated  him  polite 
but  cool,  and  shook  his  hand  back  and  forth  mebby 
once  or  twice,  and  sez  : 

"  I  am  well,  and  I  hope  1  find  you  the  same." 
Oh,  I  know  how  to  appear. 

I  then  went  and  sot  down  some  distance  from 
him. 

Genieve  wuz  a  settin'   in  the  next  room  holdin' 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  243 

Boy  in  her  arms — he  wuzn't  over  and  above  well 
that  day  (cuttin'  teeth).  And  I  looked  out  and 
smiled  at  'em  both  ;  I  then  went  to  knittin'. 

If  I  should  be  obleeged  to  kiss  the  Bible  and  tell 
jest  what  I  thought  about  Col.  Seybert,  I  should  say 
that  I  didn't  like  his  looks  a  mite,  not  a  mite. 

He  looked  bold,  and  brassy,  and  self-assertive, 
and  dissipated— he  looked  right  down  mean.  And 
I  should  have  said  so  if  I  hadn't  never  hearn  a  word 
about  his  treatment  of  Victor,  or  his  deviltry  about 
Hester,  or  anything. 

You  know  in  some  foreign  countries  the  officers 
have  to  give  you  a  passport  to  pass  through  the 
country.  And  when  you  are  a  travellin'  you  have 
to  show  your  papers,  and  show  up  who  you  be  and 
what  you  be. 

Wall,  I  spoze  that  custom  is  follered  from  one  of 
Nater's.  She  always  fills  out  her  papers  and  signs 
'em  with  her  own  hand,  so  that  folks  that  watch  can 
tell  travellers  a  passin'  through  this  world. 

Nater  had  signed  Col.  Seybert's  passport,  had  writ 
it  down  in  the  gross,  sensual,  yet  sneerin'  lips,  in 
the  cold,  cruel  look  in  his  eyes,  in  his  loud,  boastin', 
aggressive  manner. 

Yet  he  wuz  a  neighbor,  and  I  felt  that  we  must 
neighbor  with  him. 

After  I  come  into  the  room,  he  begun,  I  spoze  out 
of  politeness,  to  sort  o'  address  himself  to  me  in  his 
remarks.  And  he  seemed  to  be  a  resoomin'  the  con 
versation  my  comin'  in  had  interrupted. 

And  anon,  he  begun  to  went  on  about  the  colored 
people  perfectly  shameful. 

And  as  my  mind   roamed   back  and  recalled  the 


244 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


various  things  I  had  heard  of  his  doin',  I  most 
imegiatly  made  up  my  mind  that,  neighbor  or  not, 
if  this  thing  kep'  on  I  should  have  to  gin  him  a 
piece  of  my  mind. 

And  there  Genieve  sot,  the  good,  pretty,  patient 
creeter,  a  hearin'  her  own  people  run  down  to  the 


POOR   WHITE. 


lowest  notch.  I  felt  as  if  I  should  sink,  but  felt  that 
before  I  did  sink  I  should  speak. 

He  went  on  to  tell  what  a  dretful  state  the  coun 
try  wuz  in,  and  all  a  owin'  to  the  colored  race  ;  and 
sez  he  : 

"  The  niggers  don't  take  any  interest  in  the  wel- 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  245 

fare  of  the  country.  What  do  they  care  what  be 
comes  of  the  nation  if  they  can  get  their  pan  of 
bacon  and  hominy  ? 

"  A  mule  stands  up  before  their  eyes  higher  than 
any  idea  of  Justice  or  Liberty. 

"  They  are  liars,  they  are  thieves,  they  are  lazy, 
they  are  hangers-on  to  the  skirts  of  civilization,  they 
can  never  stand  upright,  they  have  got  to  be  carried 
all  their  days.  And  it  is  this  mass  of  ignorance,  and 
superstition,  and  vice  that  you  Northerners  want  to 
see  ruling  us  white  men  of  the  South. 

"  They  can't  read  nor  write,  nor  understand  an 
intelligible  remark  hardly  ;  and  yet  these  are  the 
men  that  you  want  to  have  vote  and  get  put  in  as 
rulers  over  us. 

"  Well,  we  will  not  submit  to  it,  that  is  all  there 
is  about  it ;  and  if  war  comes,  the  sooner  the  better, 
for  we  will  die  fighting  for  our  freedom.  It  is  bad 
enough  for  us  Southerners  to  be  ruled  by  Northern 
men,  but  when  it  comes  to  being  ruled  by  beasts, 
animals  that  are  no  higher  than  brutes,  we  will  not 
submit." 

Sez  I,  for  I  would  speak  up,  and  I  did  : 

"  Hain't  there  plenty  of  intelligent  educated  col 
ored  people  now,  graduates  of  schools  and  colleges 
— lawyers,  teachers,  ministers,  etc.,  etc.  ?" 

"  Oh,  yes,  a  few,"  he  admitted  reluctantly. 

I  knew  there  wuz  a  hundred  thousand  of  'em,  if 
there  wuz  one. 

And  I  sez,  "  Hain't  the  condition  of  your  poor 
whites  here  in  the  South  about  as  bad  as  the 
negroes,  mentally  and  morally  and  physically  ?" 

"  Well,  yes,"  he  admitted  that  it  wuz.     "  But," 


246  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

sez  he,  ''that  don't  alter  the  dangerous  state  of 
affairs.  The  interests  of  a  community  cannot  be 
placed  in  the  hands  of  an  ignorant,  vicious  rabble 
without  terrible  peril  and  danger.  And  when  it  is  too 
late  the  country  will  awake  to  this  truth." 

His  axent  wuz  very  skairful,  and  reproachful,  and 
rebukin',  and  despairing  and  everything.  And  so, 
thinkses  I,  I  will  ventilate  some  of  them  views  that 
had  gone  through  my  mind  when  I  first  begin  to 
muse  on  the  Race  Problem,  before  I  had  heard  so 
much  of  Victor  and  Genieve's  talk  and  Cousin  John 
Richards'es. 

Thinkses  I,  "It  won't  do  no  hurt  to  promulgate 
'em  anyway,"  for  I  truly  felt  that  if  they  wouldn't 
do  no  good,'  they  wouldn't  be  apt  to  do  no  hurt. 

And  then,  when  there  is  a  big  conundrum  gin  out 
to  a  individual  or  a  nation,  it  stands  to  reason  that 
there  must  be  more  than  one  answer  to  it — or,  that 
is,  folks  will  try  to  answer  it  in  more  than  fifty  ways. 

And  anyway,  this  wuz  part  of  one  answer  to  the 
conundrum,  though  folks  might  be  dubersome  of  its 
bein'  the  right  one  ;  anyway,  I  sez,  sez  I  : 

"  Hain't  your  Southern  wimmen  of  the  higher 
classes  high-minded  and  educated  ladies  ?" 

'*  Yes,  God  bless  them,"  sez  he,  "  they  are  as  pure, 
and  good,  and  high  minded  as  angels ;  and  to  think 
of  these  lofty-souled,  spiritual  creatures  being  under 
the  rule  of  these  beasts  of  burden." 

(Thinkses  I,  no  thanks  to  him  if  they  are  good  and 
pure,  the  mean,  miserable  snipe.) 

But  I  sez,  "  If  these  wimmen  are  so  good  and 
noble,  of  course  you  wouldn't  be  afraid  to  trust  'em. 
Why  not  let  'em  vote,  why  not  have  a  educated, 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  247 

moral  vote,  that  would  take  the  power  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  low  and  vile,  black  and  white,  and 
place  it  in  the  hands  of  the  educated  and  moral,  and 
whether  in  this  country  or  another"  (sez  I,  as  I 
thought  to  myself  of  Victor's  plan),  "  whether  in 
this  Republic  or  a  new  colony,  it  would  be  a  right 
way,  a  safe  way." 

"  I  don't  believe  in  women  voting,"  sez  Col.  Sey- 
bert,  with  a  strong,  witherin'  emphasis.  "  I  don't 
believe  in  it— and  they  don't  ;  you  couldn't  get  our 
women  to  vote." 

"How  do  you  know  they  wouldn't?  You  say 
they  are  high-minded  and  pure  as  angels.  Now,  an 
angel,  if  she  see  that  the  best  good  of  the  greatest 
number  depended  on  her  votin',  she  would  jest  lift 
her  wings  right  up  and  sail  off  to  the  pole  and  vote. 
I  believe  it  as  much  as  I  believe  I  am  alive. 

"  If  the  wimmen  of  the  South  are  as  lofty  princi 
pled  as  you  say  they  are,  and  they  wuz  convinced 
that  they  could  rescue  their  beloved  land  from 
danger  by  sacrincin'  their  own  feelin's  if  necessary, 
to  keep  the  balance  of  power  in  the  educated  classes, 
why,  they  would  walk  up  and  vote.  I  believe  it  jest 
as  much  as  I  believe  I  am  standin'  here. 

"  The  same  bravery  that  met  the  terrible  reverses 
of  the  War  with  a  smile  hidin*  a  breakin'  heart, 
that  endured  privation,  and  almost  starvation,  for 
their  love  to  the  cause,  that  same  spirit  hain't  a 
goin'  to  falter  now.  Let  them  know  that  they  can 
do  great  good  to  the  imperilled  South.  Let  them 
know  that  the  country  wants  an  intelligent,  educated 
vote.  Let  the  test  of  intelligence  and  a  certain 
amount  of  education  and  morality  be  required.  And 


248  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

then  let  every  one  of  'em  vote,  male  or  female,  bond 
or  free,  black  or  white. 

"  I  don't  spoze  you  could  bring  up,  if  you  should 
hunt  for  weeks,  any  good  reason  aginst  this  plan. 
I  don't  spoze  you  would  find  any  skairful  and  dan 
gerous  objection  to  it.  1  don't  spoze,  really  and 
honestly,  that  it  could  be  apt  to  do  any  harm.  And 
then,  on  the  other  hand,  you  could  bring  up  lots  of 
reasons  as  to  why  it  might  do  good  ;  lots  of  'em 
hefty  reasons  too — and  good  sound  moral  ones, 
every  one  of  'em. 

"  The  supremacy  would  for  years  and  years,  or 
as  long  as  safety  demanded,  remain  in  the  hands  of 
the  white  race."  (I  didn't,  in  my  mind,  come  out 
aginst  Victor's  plans,  but  I  knew  that  this  would  be 
a  good  thing  ior  them  that  wuz  left  behind  in  the 
exodus  and  them  that  went  too,  a  helpful,  encour- 
agin'  thing.) 

"  And  jest  as  soon  as  the  negro  and  the  poor 
whites  get  fit  for  it,  as  soon  as  they  had  fitted  them 
selves  morally  and  intellectually  for  the  right  of 
suffrage,  why  it  is  only  justice  that  they  should 
have  it. 

"  It  would  ensure  safety  to  the  South  to-day,  and 
it  would  open  a  bright  and  fair  to-morrow,  whether 
in  this  land  or  any  other,  where  the  colored  men  and 
wimmen  can  stand  free  and  equal  with  the  white  race, 
where  the  low,  ignorant  ones  of  the  white  people 
can  come  up  on  another  plane  and  a  higher  one, 
where  they  can  read  this  text  a  shinin'  with  the  gold 
letters  of  Justice  and  Common  Sense,  where  they 
glitter  now  with  the  sham  gildin*  of  absurdity — 

"  '  All  men  are  free  and  equal.' 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  249 

"  For  a  low,  vicious,  ignorant  person,  be  he  black 
or  be  he  white,  is  not  equal  to  a  high-minded,  intelli 
gent  one.  And  the  law  that  sets  them  two  up  side 
by  side  is  an  unjust  and  foolish  law. 

"  But  the  light  of  the  fair  to-morrow  is  a  shinin' 
down  ;  its  light  beckons,  it  inspires,  it  helps  for 
ward. 

"It  is  a  sure  thing.  Jest  as  soon  as  a  man  or 
woman  is  fit  to  vote  they  can  vote.  If  they  prepare 
themselves  in  ten  years,  there  the  golden  prize  is  a 
waitin'  for  'em.  If  they  fit  themselves  in  one  year 
to  reach  it,  so  much  the  better. 

"It  is  a  premium  set  upon  effort  for  men  and 
wimmen,  black  and  white,  upon  noble  endeavor, 
upon  all  that  lift.s  a  man  above  the  animals  that 
perish. 

' '  To  make  one  of  the  rulers  of  a  great  republic,  a 
great  country,  what  can  stimulate  a  young  man  or  a 
young  woman  more  than  this  ?  And  every  prize 
that  is  open  to  the  cultured  and  educated  now  will 
in  that  time  be  open  to  them  ;  they  can  aspire  to  the 
highest  place  jest  as  soon  as  they  become  worthy 
of  it. 

"All  the  teachers  in  colored  schools  testify  that 
the  ability  of  the  colored  boys  and  girls  is  fully  equal 
to  the  white.  In  Jonesville,"  sez  I,  "  my  own  native 
place,  a  little  colored  boy  led  the  roll  of  honor,  wuz 
more  perfect  in  school  than  the  children  of  ministers 
or  judges,  and  they  white  as  snow,  and  he  as  black 
as  a  little  ace  of  spades. ' ' 

Sez  I,  "  The  idees  I  have  promulgated  to  you 
would  be  apt  to  light  up  one  side  of  the  Race  Prob 
lem." 


250  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"  You  have  got  to  put  the  niggers  down,"  sez 
Col.  Seybert,  as  onconvinced  as  ever,  so  I  see. 
"  That  is  the  only  way  to  get  along  with  them." 

Sez  1,  "  That  time  has  gone  by,  Col.  Seybert. 

"  The  time  when  it  wuz  possible  to  do  this  has 
passed  ;  if  you  want  to  make  a  man,  black  or  white, 
stay  in  a  dark  dungeon,  you  mustn't  break  his  chains 
and  show  him  the  stairs  that  climb  up  to  the  sun 
shine  and  to  liberty. 

"If  he  has  dropped  his  chains  onto  the  damp, 
mouldy  pavement,  if  he  has  stood  on  the  very  low 
est  of  them  steps  and  seen  way  up  over  his  head  the 
warm  sun  a  shinin'  and  heard  the  song  of  birds  and 
the  distant  rushin'  of  clear  waters,  you  never  can 
put  him  back  down  into  that  dark,  damp  dungeon 
agin,  and  slip  his  hands  into  the  fetters  and  keep 
him  there. 

"  No  ;  he  has  had  a  glimpse  of  the  wideness  and 
glory  of  liberty,  and  you  never  can  smother  it 
agin. 

"  If  this  Nation  had  wanted  to  keep  on  a  Nation 
of  slaveholders  and  slaves,  it  ortn't  to  have  let  the 
light  of  Christianity  and  education  shine  down  onto 
'em  at  all ;  it  ortn't  to  have  broke  their  chains  and 
called  'em  free. 

"  They  will  never  resign  that  glorious  hope,  Col. 
Seybert ;  they  will  press  forward. 

'  They  have  crouched  down  and  wore  their  fet 
ters  long  enough  ;  they  are  a  goin'  to  stand  up  and 
be  free  men  and  free  wimmen. 

"And  for  you  or  for  me  to  try  to  put  our  puny 
strengths  in  the  way  of  God's  everlastin'  decree  and 
providence  would  be  like  puttin'  up  our  hands  and 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  251 

tryin'  to  stop  a  whirlwind.     It  would  whirl  us  out 
of  the  way,  but  its  path  would  be  onward. 

"  The  negroes  will  be  a  free  people,  a  powerful, 
God-fearin',  patient,  noble  one." 

Col.  Seybert  wuzn't  convinced.  Fur  from  it. 
He  made  a  motion  of  extreme  disgust.  But  I  turned 
my  head  a  little,  and  over  Col.  Seybert's  shoulder, 
back  behind  him,  I  see  a  face. 

It  wuz  a  face  illumined,  riz  up,  inspired,  if  ever  a 
face  wuz  upon  earth.  A  noble  purpose  shone 
through  it  and  made  it  a  grand  face. 

It  wuz  Victor  ;  he  had  heard  every  word  I  had 
said  and  believed  every  word,  only  he  had  fitted  the 
words  to  suit  his  own  meaning. 

I  felt  this  by  the  rapt  expression  of  his  counte 
nance,  and  also  by  that  free-masonry  of  the  spirit 
that  binds  the  souls  of  the  true  lovers  of  Humanity, 
whether  they  be  black  or  white  on  the  outside. 

Col.  Seybert  turned  and  follered  my  look,  and  he 
see  Victor,  and  he  spoke  out  angrily  : 

"  Why  do  you  follow  me,  you  dog  you,  tight  to 
my  heels  ?  Can't  I  ever  escape  your  watchfulness  ?" 

(He  had  been  on  one  of  his  sprees,  so  I  hearn,  and 
Victor  had  kep'  watch  on  him,  and  his  nerves  wuz 
onstrung  yet,  and  he  felt  hateful.) 

"  Mrs.  Seybert  sent  me  over  for  you." 
'  Why  don't  you  say  your  mistress,  you  fool  ?" 

Victor  wuz  perfectly  respectful,  but  he  did  not 
change  his  words. 

"  General  Lord  and  his  son  have  come,  and  she 
wanted  you  told  at  once." 

"  Well,  follow  me  immediately  ;  don't  dawdle 
now." 


25 2  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

'  Yes,  sir,"  said  Victor.  And  he  turned  at  once 
to  follow  his  brother  (for  I  would  keep  on  a  callin' 
him  so  in  my  mind). 

But  I  glanced  down  and  see  Col.  Seybert  a  talkin' 
with  Maggie  down  on  the  lawn  (she  and  Thomas  J. 
had  been  called  down  stairs,  and  had  been  gone  for 
some  time  entirely  onbeknown  to  me,  I  had  been  so 
riz  up  and  by  the  side  of  myself). 

And  I  sez  to  Victor  : 
'  You  believe  what  I  said .?" 

"  Yes,  God  knows  I  do  !  It  is  true,  and  will  be 
fulfilled  in  His  own  good  time ;  but  not  in  this 
land,"  sez  he. 

Genieve  had  come  in  with  Boy,  and  she  and  Vic 
tor  gin  each  other  a  silent  greetin'  of  the  eyes — a 
heart  greetin',  dear  and  sweet  as  earthly  language 
cannot  be. 

And  in  her  big,  eloquent  eyes  I  see  too  her  belief 
in  what  I  had  said — I  see  that  and  more  too.  Them 
sweet  eyes  looked  grand  and  prophetic.  Sez  she  : 

"  The  time  is  hastening.  I  have  seen  the  glow 
of  that  to-morrow  ;  its  light  is  waking  the  sleep 
ers. 

"  Africa  has  been  asleep  for  ages.  She  has 
crouched  down  in  her  pain,  her  long  stupor.  But 
she  is  waking  up.  The  dead  form  is  beginning  to 
move — to  rise  up.  She  will  stand  upon  her  feet 
among  the  nations  of  the  earth.  And  when  this 
warm-hearted,  musical,  beauty-loving  people  come 
to  their  own,  who  may  paint  their  future  ? 

'  They  will  be  leaders  among  the  nations.  Poesy, 
art,  song,  oratory  will  find  in  them  their  highest  ex 
ponents.  And  after  bending  and  cowering  beneath 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  253 

its  burdens  for  centuries,  Africa  will  rise  and  tower 
up  above  the  other  nations  of  the  earth." 

Oh,  how  Genieve's  eyes  shone  and  glowed  with 
inner  light  as  she  said  these  words,  as  if  she  wuz  de- 
scribin'  sunthin'  she  see  fur  off. 

And  I  declare  it  gin  me  such  a  feelin',  sunthin' 
like  a  cold  chill,  only  more  riz  up  like,  that  I  didn't 
know  but  she  did  see  it. 

And  I  don't  know  now  but  she  did,  and  then  agin 
I  don't  know  as  she  did.  But  anon  the  illumination 
sort  o'  faded  out  of  her  eyes  agin. 

The  old  patient,  brave  look  come  over  Victor's 
face,  and  he  followed  Col.  Seybert  home  ;  and  lo 
and  behold !  by  the  time  Maggie  come  in  to 
ask  about  Boy  the  rapt  prophetess  Genieve  had 
changed  agin  into  the  faithful,  quiet,  patient  nurse 
Genny. 

Wall,  Boy  grew  pretty  every  day — not  a  pretti- 
ness  like  Snow's,  delicate  and  spiritual,  but  a  sort  of 
a  healthy,  happy  boy  pretty.  Bold,  bright  blue 
eyes,  rosy  cheeks,  and  a  mouth  that  seemed  made 
for  smiles  and  kisses,  and  cheeks  that  wuz  perfect 
rose  nests  for  dimples — short  brown  curls  begun  to 
lengthen  on  his  round  little  head. 

And  he  wuz  altogether  a  very  pretty  boy,  very. 

But  Snow,  the  darlin',  wuz  the  very  light  of  our 
eyes,  the  joy  of  our  lives. 

A  sweeter  child  never  lived,  and  that  I  know. 
She  twined  round  our  hearts  as  it  seemed  as  if  no 
other  child  ever  had  or  ever  could. 

Her  Pa  and  Ma  watched  her  grow  in  beauty  and 
goodness  with  love-glorified  eyes  ;  and  as  for  her 
Grandpa,  I  should  have  said  he  acted  fairly  foolish 


254 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


if  it  wuz  on  any  other  subject  than  this  that  he  wuz 
so  carried  away  on. 

But  1  could  see  plain  that  every  word  he  said  in 


ROSY'S   BABY. 

commendation  and  praise  of  that  child  wuz  Gospel 
truth. 

There  never  wuz  such  a  beautiful  child  before, 


SAMANTffA    ON  THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  25$ 

either  in  America,  or  Asia,  or  Africa,  or  the  Islands 
of  the  Sea.  And  bein'  entirely  onprejudiced  my 
self,  of  course  I  could  see  that  he  wuz  in  the  right 
on't. 

That  man  wuz  jest  led  round  by  her  like  a  lamb 
by  the  shearer,  only  the  lamb  might  mebby  be  on- 
willin'  and  Josiah  Allen  went  happy  and  smilin',  the 
shearer  wuz  so  awfully  smart  and  pretty.  (That 
metafor  don't  quite  fit  into  my  meanin',  but  I  guess 
I  will  let  it  go.  It  is  hard  work  sometimes  to  find 
metafors  a  layin'  round  handy  all  rounded  off  to  suit 
round  holes  in  your  conversation,  and  square  ones 
to  fit  the  square  places,  etc.) 

But  as  I  wuz  a  sayin',  I  never  see  a  man  take  more 
solid  comfort  than  my  pardner  did  a  walkin'  round, 
and  a  talkin',  and  a  playin'  with  that  beautiful,  beau 
tiful  child. 

And  I  too  the  same,  and  likewise. 

And  the  help  all  jest  about  worshipped  her,  and 
they  couldn't  do  enough  for  her,  from  Genieve  down 
to  Rosy  and  Rosy's  baby. 

That  little  ebony  image  would  seem  to  laugh 
louder  and  show  his  white  teeth  and  the  whites  of 
his  little  eyes  like  two  pearl  buttons  sot  in  black 
beads,  and  babble  his  baby  talk  faster  and  faster,  if 
she  come  in  his  sight. 

Mebby  it  wuz  her  oncommon  beauty  and  worth, 
and  then,  agin,  mebby  it  wuz  the  little  nice  bits  she 
always  carried  him— candy,  and  nuts,  and  cakes, 
and  such,  and  lots  of  her  toys  that  she  had  sort  o* 
outgrown. 

I  want  to  be  exact  and  truthful  as  a  historian,  and 
so  I  say,  mebby  it  wuz  this  and  mebby  it  wuz  that. 


URY. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  257 

Wall,  now  that  they  wuz  all  well  agin  and  oncom- 
mon  prosperous,  Josiah  and  me  begun  to  talk  about 
goin'  back  to  Jonesville  and  our  duties  there. 

But  our  children  wouldn't  hear  a  word  to  it. 
They  said  nuthin'  hendered  us  from  stayin'  and  tak- 
in'  a  good  rest,  as  Ury  took  good  care  of  every 
thing,  and  we  had  worked  hard,  and  ort  to  rest  off 
for  a  long  time. 

So  we  kep'  on  a  stayin'.  There  wuzn't  no  reason 
why  we  shouldn't,  to  tell  the  truth — Ury  wuz  a  doin' 
better  with  the  farm  than  Josiah  Allen  could,  or  full 
as  well  anyway.  And  Philury  took  care  of  every 
thing  inside,  and  I  knew  I  could  trust  her  with 
ontold  gold,  if  I  had  any  ontold  gold ;  so  we 
stayed  on. 


SOME  NEIGHBORS. 


CHAPTER   XII. 

T  wuz  a  dretful  curiosity  to  me  and  a  never- 
failin'  source  of  interest  to  watch  the  ways 
and  habits  of  the  Southern  people  about 
Belle  Fanchon,  both  white  and  colored. 

The  neighborhood  wuzn't  very  thickly 
settled  with  white  people.  But  still  there  wuz  quite 
a  number  of  neighbors,  and  they  wuz  about  all  of 
'em  kind-hearted,  generous,  hospitable  people  to 
their  equals.  . 

They  seemed  to  like  their  own  folks  the  best,  the 
Southern  folks  ;  but  still  they  wuz  very  kind  to  my 
son  and  his  wife,  and  seemed  willin'  and  glad  to 
neighbor  with  'em.  While  there  wuz  so  much  sick 
ness  in  the  house,  they  seemed  anxious  to  help  ;  and 
I  see  that  they  wuz  warm-hearted,  ready  to  take 
trouble  for  other  folks,  ready  to  give  all  the  help 
they  could. 

And  they  wuz  very  polite  to  Josiah  Allen  and  me, 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  259 

and  pleasant  to  talk  with.  But  let  the  subject  of  the 
freedmen  come  up,  or  the  Freedmen's  Bureau,  I 
could  see  in  a  minute  that  they  hated  that  bureau — 
hated  it  like  a  dog. 

I  hit  aginst  that  bureau  quite  a  number  of  times 
in  my  talk  with  them  neighbors,  and  I  could  see 
that  it  creaked  awfully  in  their  ears  ;  its  draws 
drawed  mighty  heavy  to  'em,  and  the  hull  structure 
wuz  hated  by  'em  worse  than  any  gulontine  wuz 
ever  hated  by  Imperialists. 

And  colored  schools,  of  course  there  wuz  excep 
tions  to  it,  but,  as  a  rule,  them  neighbors  despised 
the  idee  of  schools  for  the  "  niggers,"  despised  the 
teachers  and  the  hull  runnin'  gear  of  the  institu 
tion. 

The  colored  men  and  wimmen  they  seemed  to 
look  upon  about  as  Josiah  and  me  looked  onto  our 
dairy,  though  mebby  not  quite  so  favorably,  for 
there  wuz  one  young  yearlin'  heifer  and  one  three- 
year-old  Jersey  that  I  always  said  knew  enough  to 
vote. 

They  had  wonderful  minds,  both  on  'em,  so  I 
always  said,  and  I  petted  'em  a  sight  and  thought 
everything  on  'em. 

But  the  "  niggers"  in  their  eyes  wuz  nuthin'  and 
never  could  be  anything  but  slaves  ;  in  that  capacity 
they  wuz  willin'  to  do  anything  for  'em — doctor  'em 
when  they  wuz  sick,  and  clothe  'em  and  take  care 
on  'em. 

They  wuz  willin'  to  call  'em  Uncle  and  Aunt  and 
Mammy,  but  to  call  'em  Mr.  or  Mrs.  wuz  a  abomi 
nation  to  'em  ;  and  one  woman  rebuked  me  hard  for 
callin'  a  old  black  preacher  Mr.  Peters. 


260  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

Sez  she,  "  I  wouldn't  think  you  would  call  a  low- 
down  nigger  '  Mr.' ' 

But  I  sez,  "  I  heard  you  call  him  Uncle,  and  that 
is  goin'  ahead  of  me  ;  for  much  as  I  respect  him  for 
his  good,  Christian  qualities,  I  wouldn't  go  so  fur  as 
to  tell  a  wrong  story  in  order  to  claim  relationship 
with  him.  He  hain't  no  kin  to  me,  and  so  I  am 
more  distant  to  him  and  call  him  Mister." 

But  Mrs  Stan  wood  (that  wuz  her  name)  tosted 
her  head,  and  I  see  my  deep,  powerful  argument 
hadn't  convinced  her. 

And  most  imegiatly  after  she  begun  to  run  down 
the  white  teachers  in  the  colored  schools  and  run  the 
idee  of  their  puttin'  themselves  down  on  a  equality 
with  niggers  and  bein'  so  intimate  with  'em. 

"  But,'*  sez  I,  "  you  have  told  me  that  your  little 
girl  always  sleeps  with  her  colored  nurse,  and  you 
did  with  yours  when  you  wuz  a  child.  And,  '  sez 
I,  "  that  seems  to  me  about  as  intimate  as  anybody 
can  get,  to  sleep  in  the  same  bed  ;  and  when  both  are 
a  layin'  down,  they  seem  to  be  pretty  much  on  a 
equality — that  is,"  sez  I,  reasonable,  "  if  their  pil- 
lers  are  of  the  same  height  and  bigness." 

And  I  resoomed — "  I  never  hearn  of  any  white 
teacher  bein'  in  that  state  of  equality  with  the  col 
ored  people,"  sez  I  ;  "  they  are  a  laborin'  for  their 
souls  and  minds  mostly,  and  you  can't  seem  to  get 
on  such  intimate  terms  with  them,  if  you  try,  as  you 
can  with  bodies." 

Miss  Stanwood  tosted  her  head  fearful  high  at 
this,  and  didn't  seem  impressed  by  the  depth  and 
solidity  of  my  argument  no  more  than  if  it  had  been 
a  whiff  of  wind  from  a  alkelie  desert.  It  wuz  offen- 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  261 

sive  to  her.  And  she  never  seemed  to  care  about 
conversin'  with  me  on  them  topics  agin. 

But  I  wuz  dretful  polite  to  her,  and  shouldn't 
have  said  this  if  she  hadn't  opened  the  subject. 

But  from  all  my  observations,  I  see  the  Southern 
ers  felt  pretty  much  alike  on  this  subject,  they  wuz 
about  unanimous  on  it— though,  as  there  always  must 
be  everywhere,  there  wuz  a  few  that  thought  differ 
ent. 

There  must  be  a  little  salt  scattered  everywhere, 
else  how  could  the  old  earth  get  salted  ? 

But  I  couldn't  bear  to  hear  too  much  skairful  talk 
from  Southerners  about  the  two  races  bein'  intimate 
with  each  other.  I  couldn't  bear  to  hear  too  many 
forebodin's  on  the  subject,  for  I  know  and  every 
body  knows  that  ever  sence  slavery  existed  the  two 
races  had  been  about  as  intimate  with  each  other  as 
they  could  be — in  some  ways  ;  and  the  white  man 
to  blame  for  it,  in  most  every  case. 

And  I  couldn't  seem  to  think  the  Bible  and  the 
spellin'  book  wuz  a  goin'  to  add  any  dangerous  fea 
tures  to  the  case  ;  no,  indeed.  I  know  it  wuz  goin'  to 
be  exactly  the  reverse  and  opposite. 

But  as  interestin'  as  the  white  folks  wuz  to  me  to 
behold  and  observe  down  in  them  Southern  States, 
the  colored  people  themselves  wuz  still  more  of  a 
curiosity  to  me. 

To  me,  who  had  always  lived  up  North  and  had 
never  neighbored  with  anybody  darker  complex- 
ioned  than  myself  (my  complexion  is  good,  only  some 
tanned) — it  wuz  a  constant  source  of  interest  and  in 
struction  to  me  "  to  look  about  and  find  out,"  as  the 
poet  has  so  well  remarked, 


267  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  I  see,  as  I  took  my  notes,  that  Victor  and 
Genieve  wuz  no  more  to  be  compared  with  the  rest 
of  the  race  about  them  than  a  eagle  and  a  white  dove 
wuz  to  be  compared  with  ground  birds. 

These  two  seemed  to  be  the  very  blossoms  of  the 
crushed  vine  of  black  humanity,  pure  high  blossoms 
lifted  up  above  the  trompled  stalks  and  tendrils  of 
the  bruised  and  bleeding  vine  that  had  so  long  run 
along  the  ground  all  over  the  South  land,  for  any  foot 
to  stamp  on,  for  every  bad  influence  of  earth  and 
sky  to  centre  on  and  debase. 

(That  hain't  a  over  and  above  good  metafor  ;  but 
I'll  let  it  go,  bein'  I  am  in  some  of  a  hurry.) 

I  spozed  then,  and  I  spoze  still,  that  all  over  the 
land,  wherever  this  thick,  bleeding,  tangled  under 
growth  lingered  and  suffered,  there  wuz,  anon  and 
even  oftener,  pure,  fair  posys  lifted  up  to  the  sky. 

I  spozed  there  wuz  hundreds  and  thousands  of 
bright,  intelligent  lives  reachin*  up  out  of  the  dark 
ness  into  the  light,  minds  jest  as  bright  as  the  white 
race  could  boast,  lives  jest  as  pure  and  consecrated. 
And  I  spozed  then,  and  spoze  now,  that  faster  and 
faster  as  the  days  go  by,  and  the  means  of  culture 
and  advancement  are  widening,  will  these  souls  be 
lifted  up  nigher  and  nigher  to  the  heavens  they 
aspire  to. 

A  race  that  has  given  to  the  world  a  Fred  Doug 
lass,  and  that  sublime  figure  of  Toussaint  L'Ouver- 
ture,  that  form  that  towers  higher  than  any  white 
saint  or  hero— and  he  risin'  to  that  almost  divine 
height  by  his  own  unaided  powers,  without  culture 
or  education — what  may  it  not  hope  to  aspire  to, 
helped  by  these  aids  ? 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  263 

Truly  the  future  is  glorious  with  hope  and  prom 
ise  for  the  negro. 

But  to  resoom  and  continue  the  epistol  I  com 
menced. 

The  most  of  the  colored  people  about  Belle  Fan- 
chon  wuz  fur  different  from  Victor  and  Genieve. 
But  a  close  observer  could  trace  back  their  faults 
and  weaknesses  to  their  source. 

Maggie's  cook  wuz  a  old  black  woman  who  wuzn't 
over  and  above  neat  in  her  kitchen  (it  didn't  look 
much  like  the  kitchen  of  a  certain  person  whose 
home  wuz  in  Jonesville— no,  indeed),  but  who  got  up 
awful  good  dinners  and  suppers  and  brekfusses. 

She  wuz  tall  and  big-boneded,  and  black  as  jet. 
Her  hair,  which  wuz  wool  and  partly  white,  wuz 
twisted  up  on  top  of  her  head  and  surmounted  by  a 
wonderful  structure  which  she  called  a  turben. 

Sometimes  this  wuz  constructed  of  a  gorgeous 
red  and  yeller  handkerchief,  and  sometimes  it  wuz 
white  as  snow  ;  and  when  she  wore  this,  she  always 
wore  a  clean  white  neckerchief  crossed  on  her 
breast,  and  a  large  white  apron.  She  wore  glasses 
too,  which  gave  her  a  more  dignified  appearance. 
Evidently  she  wore  these  for  effect,  as  she  always 
looked  over  them,  even  when  she  took  up  a  paper 
or  book  and  pretended  to  be  readin'  it  ;  she  could 
not  read  or  write. 

Indeed,  when  she  had  heavy  work  on  hand,  such 
as  washin',  which  made  the  situation  of  her  best 
glasses  perilous,  I  have  seen  her  wear  a  heavy  pair 
of  bows,  with  no  glasses  in  them  whatever. 

She  evidently  felt  that  these  ornaments  to  her  face 
adde$  both  grace  and  dignity, 


AUNT  MELA. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  265 

Her  figure  wuz  a  little  bent  with  years,  but  the 
fire  of  youth  seemed  burnin'  still  in  her  black  eyes. 

She  boasted  of  havin'  lived  in  the  best  families  in 
the  South,  and  took  great  pride  in  relatin'  instances 
of  the  grandeur  and  wealth  of  the  family  she  wuz 
raised  in. 

The  name  she  went  by  wuz  Aunt  Mela. 

I  spoze  her  name  wuz  or  should  have  been 
Amelia,  but  there  wuzn't  no  law  violated,  as  I  knows 
on,  by  her  callin'  herself  "  Mela."  It  wuz  some 
easier  to  speak  anyway. 

I  used  to  go  down  into  the  kitchen  and  talk  quite 
a  good  deal  with  Aunt  Mela. 

At  first  she  didn't  seem  to  relish  the  idee  of  my 
meddlin'  with  her,  but  as  days  went  on  and  she  see 
that  I  wuz  inclined  to  mind  my  own  business,  and 
to  help  her  once  in  a  while  when  she  wuz  in  a  bad 
place,  she  seemed  to  get  easier  in  her  mind,  and 
would  talk  considerable  free  with  me. 

But  she  never  thought  anything  of  me  compared 
to  what  she  did  of  Maggie.  She  jest  worshipped 
her  ;  and  Maggie  wuz  dretful  good  to  her,  gin  her 
a  sight  besides  her  wages,  and  took  care  on  her 
when  she  wuz  sick,  jest  as  faithful  and  good  as  she 
would  of  her  own  Ma  or  of  me. 

And  Aunt  Mela  had  sick  spells  often  with  what 
she  called  "  misery  in  her  back  and  misery  in  her 
head." 

I  spoze  it  wuz  backache  and  headache,  that  is 
what  I  spoze. 

Wall,  Aunt  Mela  sot  store  by  Maggie,  for  the  rea 
sons  I  have  stated,  and  then  she  liked  her.  And  you 
can't  always  parse  that  word  and  get  the  real  true 


266  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

meamn'  of  the  why  and  the  wherefore,  why  we  jest 
take  to  some  folks  and  can't  help  it. 

Wall,  as  I  said,  Aunt  Mela  wuz  a  wonderful  good 
cook,  a  Baptist  by  persuasion,  and  1  guess  she  meant 
to  be  as  good  as  she  could  be,  and  honest.  I  believe 
she  tried  to  be. 

She  had  tried  to  keep  the  Commandments,  or  the 
biggest  heft  of  'em,  ever  sence  she  had  jined  the 
meetin'  house  ;  and  then  she  loved  Maggie  so  well 
that  she  hated  to  wrong  her  in  any  way.  But  old 
influences  and  habits  wuz  strong  in  her,  and  she 
had  common  sense  enough  and  honesty  enough  to 
recognize  their  power. 

One  day  Maggie  and  I  went  out  into  the  vege 
table  garden  back  of  the  house,  and  she  had  stopped 
in  the  kitchen  for  sunthin',  and  she  left  the  keys  of 
the  store-room  in  the  lock. 

And  Aunt  Mela  come  a  hurryin'  after  us  into  the 
garden  with  the  keys  in  her  hand. 

"  Miss  Maggie,  chile,  hain't  I  tole  you  not  to  lef 
dem  keys  in  de  lock,  an'  now  you've  dun  it  agin." 

She  wuz  fairly  tremblin'  with  her  earnestness,  her 
white  turben  a  flutterin'  in  the  mornin'  breeze  and 
the  air  of  her  agitation. 

"  Why,  Aunt  Mela,  you  was  there  ;  what  hurt 
would  it  do  for  me  to  leave  them  ?  You  are  honest, 
you  wouldn't  take  anything." 

"  Miss  Maggie,  honey,  chile,  don'  you  leave  dem 
keys  dah  no  moah.  You  say  I'm  hones',  an*  so -I 
hopes  I  am.  But  den  agin  I  don'  know.  But  when 
anybody  can't  do  sumpin',  den  dey  don  do  it,  an' 
don*  you  leave  dem  keys  dah  no  moah." 

"  Why,  Aunt  Mela,  I  trust  you,"  sez  Maggie  in 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  267 

her  sweet  voice.      '  I  know  you  wouldn't  do  any 
thing-  to  hurt  me." 

"  To  hurt  you  ?  No,  honey.  But  den  how  can  I 
tell  when  ole  Mars  Saten  will  jes'  rise  up  an'  try  to 
hurt  ole  Mela  ?  He  may  jes'  make  me  do  sumpin' 
mean  jes'  to  spite  me  for  turnin'  my  back  on  him. 
He  jes'  hates  Massa  Jesus,  ole  Saten  duz,  an'  he's 
tried  to  spite  me  ebery  way  sense  I  jine  him. 

"  So  you  jes'  keep  dem  keys,  Miss  Maggie,  and  if 
ole  Saten  tells  me  to  get  sumpin'  outen  dat  stow 
room  to  teck  to  my  sister  down  to  Eden  Centre,  I'll 
say  : 

"  '  You  jes'  go  'long  !  I  can't  do  it  nohow,  for 
Miss  Maggie  done  got  de  keys.' ' 

Maggie  took  the  keys  and  tried  to  keep  them 
after  this. 

But  she  told  me  that  many  times  Aunt  Mela  had 
warned  her  in  the  same  way. 

One  day  she  had  been  tellin'  me  a  good  deal  about 
her  trials  and  labors  sence  the  War,  and  how  she  and 
her  sister  had  worked  to  get  them  a  little  home,  and 
how  many  times  they  had  been  cheated  and  imposed 
upon,  and  made  to  pay  over  bills  time  and  agin,  owin' 
to  their  ignorance  of  business. 

And  I  asked  her  if  she  thought  she  wuz  any  bet 
ter  off  now  than  when  she  wuz  a  slave. 

She  straightened  up  her  tall  figure,  put  her  hands 
on  her  hips,  and  looked  at  me  over  the  top  of  her 
glasses. 

'  Betteh  off,  you  say  ?  You  go  lay  down  in  de 
dahk,  tied  to  de  floah  ;  if  dat  floah  is  cahpeted  wid 
velvet  an'  sahten,  you'd  feel  betteh-  to  get  up  an'  go 
way  out  on  de  sand,  or  de  ston' — you  feel  free — 


268  SAMANTHA    OAT   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

you  holt  yur  haid  up — you  breeve  long  brefs — you 
are  free  !" 

"  But/'sez  I,  "  the  floor  of  slavery  wuzn't  covered 
with  velvet,  wuz  it  ?" 

'  It  wuz  covered  wid  blood  an'  misery.  De  dun 
geon  house  wuz  heavy  wid  groans,  an'  teahs,  an' 
agonies. 

"  My  missy  wuz  good  to  me,  as  good  as  she  could 
be  to  a  slave.  But  all  my  chillen,  one  aftah  anoder, 
wuz  stole  away  from  me. 

"Aftah  havin'  fo'teen  chillen,  lubbin'  ebery  one 
ob  'em,  like  I  would  die  ef  dey  wuz  tuck  away  from 
me— aftah  holdin'  dem  fo'teen  clost  to  my  heart,  so 
dey  couldn't  be  tuck  nohow,  I  foun'  my  ole  ahms 
empty." 

She  stretched  out  her  gaunt  old  arms  with  a  inde 
scribable  gesture  of  loneliness  and  woe,  and  went  on 
in  a  voice  full  of  the  tears  and  misery  of  that  old 
time  :  "  I  wuz  kep'  jes'  to  raise  chillen  for  de 
mahket,  dat  wuz  my  business.  An'  when  I  gin  dem 
chillen  my  heart's  lub.  dat  wuz  goin'  beyent  my 
business. 

"  Slaves  don'  hab  no  call  to  be  humans  nohow  ; 
if  dey  had  hearts  dey  wuz  wrung  clear  outen  der 
bodies  ;  if  dey  had  goodness  dey  los'  it  quick  nuff. 

"  To  try  to  be  a  good  woman  and  true  to  your  ole 
man  wuz  goin'  beyent  yur  business. 

"  Dey  sole  him  too,  de  fader  ob  leben  ob  my  chil 
len.  He  lubbed  dem  chillen  too,  jes'  as  well  Massy 
Allen  lub  little  Missy  Snow. 

"  He  had  to  leab  'em — toah  off,  covered  wid 
blood  an'  gashes,  for  he  fit  for  us,  fit  to  stay  wid  me 
— we  had  libbed  togedder  sense  I  wuz  fo'teen. 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  269 

"  I  neber  see  him  agin.  He  wuz  killed  way 
down  in  ole  Kaintuck.  He  turned  ugly  aftah  bein' 
tuck  from  us,  an'  den  he  wuz  whipped,  an'  he  grew 
weak  an'  homesick  for  us  an'  his  ole  home.  An' 
den  dey  whip  him  moah  to  meek  him  wuck. 

"  And  he  daid  off  one  day  right  when  dey  wuz  a 
lashin'  him  up.  Didn't  see  he  wuz  daid,  kep'  on  a 
whippin'  his  cole  daid  body." 

Here  Aunt  Mela  sunk  down  in  a  chair  and  cov 
ered  her  face  in  a  corner  of  her  apron,  and  rocked 
to  and  fro. 

And  I  hain't  ashamed  to  say  that  I  took  out  my 
white  linen  handkerchief  and  cried  with  her. 

But  pretty  soon  Aunt  Mela  wiped  her  eyes,  ad 
justed  her  glasses  agin,  and  went  about  her  prepara 
tions  for  dinner. 

And  I  jest  hurried  out  of  the  kitchen,  for  my 
heart  wuz  full,  full  and  runnin'  over. 

And  I  gin  her  that  very  afternoon  a  bran  new 
gingham  apron,  chocolate  and  white  checks,  all 
made  up  and  trimmed  acrost  the  bottom  with  as 
many  as  seven  rows  of  white  braid. 

And  I  didn't  give  her  that  apron  a  thinkin'  it 
would  make  up  for  the  loss  of  her  companion — no, 
indeed  !  What  would  store  clothes  be  to  me  to  take 
the  place  of  my  Josiah  ? 

But  I  gin  it  to  her  to  show  my  friendliness  to  her 
and  to  show  her  that  I  liked  her,  and  to  remind  her 
that  after  she  had  been  tosted  and  tore  by  the  ragin' 
billows  she  had  got  into  a  good  harbor  now,  and  a 
well-meanin'  one. 

So  I  gin  her  the  apron. 

There  wuz  another  family  of  colored  folks  who 


270  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

lived  pretty  nigh  to  Belle  Fanchon,  and  I  got  to 
know  considerable  about  them  because  they  used  to 
come  after  so  many  things  to  my  son's  house. 

Every  day  they  came  after  milk  or  buttermilk — one 
little  black  face  after  another  did  I  see  there  in  the 
kitchen  ;  but  they  all  belonged  to  the  same  family,  so 
I  wuz  told,  and  seemed  to  be  of  all  ages  between  six 
and  twenty.  I  could  see  they  must  take  after  the 
Bible  some,  for  all  of  the  children  had  Skripter 
names — Silus,  and  Barnibas,  and  Elikum,  and  Jede- 
diah,  and  St.  Luke,  and  more'n  a  dozen  others,  so  it 
seemed  to  me. 

Aunt  Mela  didn't  seem  to  think  much  on  'em.  She 
said  they  wuz  "  lazy,  no  account,  low-down  niggers." 

But  still,  when  we  hearn  that  the  mother  wuz  sick 
(the  father  wuz  always  sick,  or  said  he  wuz),  I  went 
to  see  her,  and  see  she  needed  a  dress  bad — why, 
Aunt  Mela  took  holt  and  showed  quite  a  interest  in 
our  makin'  it. 

We  bought  some  good  calico,  chocolate  ground 
with  a  red  sot  flower  on  it,  and  got  her  measure, 
and  then  we  made  it  up  as  quick  as  we  could,  for 
she  hadn't  a  dress  to  her  back,  only  the  old  ragged 
one  that  she  had  on. 

Wall,  we  made  it  the  easiest  way  we  could  ;  we 
started  it  for  a  sort  of  a  blouse  waist  and  a  skirt,  but 
Aunt  Mela  told  us  if  we  let  'em  go  that  way  she 
never  would  keep  the  skirt  and  waist  together — 
there  would  always  be  a  strip  between  'em,  for  she 
wuz  too  lazy  to  keep  'em  pinned  together. 

So  we  thought  we  would  put  some  buttons  on  to 
fasten  the  skirt  to  the  waist,  and  then  we  made  a 
belt  to  go  on  over  it  of  the  same. 


"DESPATCHED  TO  GET  BUTTERMILK." 


272  SAMANTHA    ON    THE    RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  as  we  wuz  in  a  hurry,  and  knew  the  buttons 
wouldn't  show  under  the  belt,  we  used  some  odd 
buttons  out  of  Maggie's  button-bag,  no  two  of  a  size 
or  color,  most  of  'em  pantaloons  buttons,  but  some 
on  'em  red  ones,  and  one  or  two  wuz  white. 

It  looked  like  fury,  but  we  knew  the  belt  would 
cover  it. 

Wall,  we  made  it,  and  I  carried  it  down  to  her 
and  explained  the  urgent  necessity  of  the  belt  to  her. 
And  the  very  next  day  she  wore  it  up  to  our  house 
on  a  errant  in  the  mornin'.  I  happened  to  be  in  the 
kitchen,  and  when  she  come  in  there  I  see  the  full  row 
of  pantaloons  buttons  a  shinin'  out  all  round  her 
waist,  from  the  size  of  a  dollar  down  to  a  pea. 

As  I  looked  on  it,  I  know  I  looked  strange. 

And  she  asked  me  anxiously  "  if  I  wuz  sick?" 

And  sez  I,  "  Yes,  sick  unto  death." 

She  wuz  too  lazy  and  shiftless  to  put  on  that  belt. 

Sez  I  pretty  severe  like  in  axent,  "  Dinah,  why 
didn't  you  put  on  that  belt  ?" 

"  Foh  Gord,  Missy,  I  cleen  don  fo'get  it. 

"  Wall,  what  good  duz  it  do  for  us  to  work  and 
make  you  a  dress,  if  you  are  too  shiftless  to  put  it 
on?" 

"  Foh  Gord,  Missy,  I  dun  no  ;  spect  nobody 
duz." 

"  No,"  sez  I  in  a  despairin'  axent,  "  nobody  duz." 

The  father  could  earn  good  wages  at  his  trade, 
which  wuz  paintin'  and  whitewashing  and  the 
mother  wuz  a  good  cook  and  laundress.  And  the 
boys  wuz  strong  and  healthy.  But  they  would  none 
of  them  work  only  jest  enough  to  get  a  little  some 
thing  to  eat  and  a  few  articles  of  clothin',  and  then 


SAM  A  NTH  A    OAT    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  273 

they  would  stop   all   labor,  and   none  of  the  family 
work  another  day's  work  till  that  wuz  all  used  up. 

Wall,  she  told  me  that  day  that  her  husband  wuz 
sick  agin,  and  they  hadn't  any  provisions  ;  so  we  sent 
them  down  a  sack  of  flour  and  a  few  pounds  of 
butter. 

They  wuz  sent  about  the  middle  01  the  lorenoon 
and  St.  Luke  wuz  imegiatly  despatched  to  get  but 
termilk — he  wanted  to  get  a  good  deal,  he  said,  for 
they' wanted  enough  to  make  a  good  many  messes 
of  biscuit.      And  Barnabas  wuz  sent  out  to  borry 
some  soda. 

I  sez  to  St.  LUKC,  "  Why  don't  your  Ma  make  riz 
bread  ?  it  would  make  the  flour  last  as  long  agin, 
and  then  it  would  be  fur  more  wholesome." 

And  he  told  me  that  they  didn't  love  it  so  well. 

Wall,  we  sent  the  buttermilk. 

That  night  Thomas  Jefferson  wuz  kep'  out  late  on 
business,  and  he  passed  their  cabin  at  twelve  o'clock 
at  night,  and  he  see  the  family  all  up,  seated  round 
the  table  eatin'. 

And  I  asked  Barnaby  *he  next  day,  when  he 
come  on  his  usual  errant  for  milk,  if  they  wuz  sick 
in  the  night. 

And  he  told  me  that  they  wuzn't  sick,  but  his 
father  got  hungry  in  the  night,  and  his  mother  got 
up  and  made  some  warm  biscuit,  and  called  'em  all 
up,  and  they  had  supper  in  the  night — warm  biscuit, 
and  butter  and  preserves. 

And  I  said  to  Maggie  out  to  one  side  : 
'  They  couldn't  seem  to  eat  up  their  provisions 
fast  enough   in  the  daytime,  so  they  had  to  set  up 
nights  to  do  it." 


274  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

And  she  said,  "  So  it  seemed." 

Wall,  the  man's  sickness  wuz  mostly  in  his  stomach 
— pain  in  his  stomach,  so  his  wife  told  me. 

And  that  wuz  the  reason  she  told  me  that  she 
made  warm  biscuit  so  much. 

And  I  told  her  it  wuz  the  worst  thing  she  could 
cook  for  him,  for  his  health  and  his  pocket. 

But  she  said  he  loved  'em  so  well,  and  he  wuz  so 
kinder  sick,  she  humored  him  dretfully  ;  she  said  if 
anything  should  happen  she  shouldn't  have  re 
flexions. 

She  said  she  always  made  a  five-gallon  jar  of 
strawberry  preserves  ;  she  worked  out  to  get  the 
sugar  and  she  picked  the  strawberries  herself,  and 
she  said  they  wuzn't  set  on  the  table  hardly  any. 
When  he  didn't  feel  well  in  the  night,  he  would  get 
up  and  take  a  spoon  and  eat  out  of  that  jar.  And  she 
ended  agin  by  say  in*  : 

"  I  shouldn't  hab  no  'flexions  to  cast  onto  myself 
if  any  ting  should  happen  to  my  ole  man." 

"  Wall,"  sez  I  in  deep  earnest,  "  if  you  keep  on  in 
this  way  you'll  find  that  sunthin'  will  happen,  for 
no  livin'  stomach  can  stand  such  a  strain  cast  onto 
it,  unless  it  is,"  sez  I  reasonably,  "  a  goat  or  a  mule. 
I  have  hearn  that  they  can  digest  stove-pipe  and  tin 
cans.  But  a  human  stomach  must  break  down 
under  it.  And  I'd  advise  you  to  feed  him  on  good 
plain  bread  and  toast  till  he  gets  well,  and  keep 
your  preserves  for  meal-times  and  company.  And 
I'd  advise  you  to  set  them  great  boys  of  yourn  to 
work  stiddy,  and  not  by  fits  and  starts,  and  you'll 
have  as  much  agin  comfort  in  your  house^  and  health 
too/' 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  275 

But,  good  land  !  I  might  jest  as  well  have  talked 
to  the  wind,  or  better.  For  the  wind,  even  if  it 
didn't  pay  no  attention  to  my  remarks — as  it  proba 
bly  wouldn't,  specially  if  it  wuz  blowin'  hard — it 
wouldn't  get  mad.  It  would  jest  blow  right  on,  and 
blow  my  remarks  right  away,  and  blow  jest  as  friend 
ly  as  ever. 

But  she  got  mad — mad  as  a  hen.  And  she  didn't 
send  after  milk  for  as  much  as  three  days.  But  it 
didn't  hold  out  ;  she  sent  on  the  fourth  day. 

But  it  didn't  change  their  course  any.  He  kep'  on 
a  eatin'  hot  biscuit  and  butter  and  preserves,  when 
they  had  'em,  night  and  day,  and  they  all  would. 
And  when  they  hadn't  anything  to  eat,  and  couldn't 
get  anything  in  any  other  way,  why,  they  would  go 
without  till  they  wuz  most  starved,  and  then  they 
would  sally  out  and  work  a  day  or  two,  and  then 
the  same  scenes  would  be  enacted  right  over  agin. 

Good  land  !  there  didn't  seem  to  be  no  use  of  talk- 
in',  and  still  I  sort  o'  kep'  on. 

There  wuz  one  boy  amongst  'em,  and  that  wuz 
St.  Luke,  and  mebby  it  wuz  because  he  wuz  named 
after  that  likely  old  apostel,  and  then,  agin,  mebby 
it  wuzn't  ;  but  anyway,  he  did  seem  to  have  a  little 
more  pride  and  a  little  more  sense  and  gumption 
than  the  rest. 

And  I  kep'  a  naggin'  at  him,  and  his  Pa  and  Ma, 
and  Thomas  J.  and  Maggie,  and  Josiah,  till  with  a 
tremendus  effort  I  did  get  that  boy  into  a  new  suit 
of  clothes  and  started  him  ofT  to  work  for  his  board 
and  go  to  school  at  a  place  about  three  miles  off. 
And  though  he  run  away  five  times  in  as  many 
weeks — twice  to  come  home  and  three  times  to  go  a 


276  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

fishin' — I  kep'  on,  and  by  argument,  and  persuasion, 
and  a  new  jack-knife,  and  a  coaxin'  him  up,  and  per- 
suadin'  the  folks  to  try  him  a  little  longer,  I  got  him 
quelled  down,  and  he  begun  to  go  easier  in  the  har 
ness,  and  stiddier.  And  his  teacher  sez  "  he  will 
make  a  smart  boy  yet." 

So  I  see  jest  what  I  always  knew  wuz  a  fact,  "  that 
while  the  lamp  holds  out  to  burn  the  vilest  sinner 
may  return." 

And  if  I  wuz  a  goin'  to  sing  that  him,  I  would 
omit  two  words  in  the  last  stanza,  and  for  the  words 
"  vilest  sinner"  I  would  sing  "  shiftless  creeter." 

For  these  two  words  are  what  will  apply  to  his 
hull  family,  root  and  branch,  specially  the  roots. 
Shiftless,  ornary,  no  account,  father  and  mother 
both  ;  and  bein'  full  of  shiftless,  no  account  qualities, 
and  bein'  married,  what  could  they  do,  or  be  expect 
ed  to  do,  but  bring  into  the  world  a  lot  of  still  shift- 
lesser,  no  accounter  creeters  ? 

Inheritin'  shiftlessness,  and  lazyness,  and  improvi 
dence  on  both  sides,  with  their  own  individual  lazy- 
ness  and  no  accountness  added,  what  can  we  expect 
of  these  offsprings  ? 

But  still  I  see  in  the  case  of  St.  Luke,  as  in  the 
words  of  the  him  I  quoted,  that  there  is  in  educa 
tion  and  the  wholesome  restraints  of  proper  livin' 
and  trainin'  a  hope  for  them — for  the  poor  blacks 
and  the  poor  whites,  for  the  poor  whites  are  jest  as 
shiftless,  jest  as  ignorant,  and  jest  as  no  account. 


"THE  BIG  PIAZZA." 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

NE  mornin'  we  wuz  all  a  settin'  out 
on  the  big  piazza,  for  it  wuz  a  cloud 
less  day,  and  it  wuz  exceedingly 
pleasant  out  there. 

Snow  wuz  a  settin'  to  one  side  a 
playin'  with  her  little  dolly  that  I 
had  carried  down  to  her — a  nice  one,  with  real  hair, 
and  very  round  blue  eyes  and  red  cheeks. 

I  bought  it  at  Loontown,  at  a  expense  of  over 
seventy-five  cents,  and  dressed  it  myself,  with  a  little 
of  Philury's  help  about  the  boddist  waist. 

Its  dress  wuz  pink  cambrick  trimmed  heavy  with 
white  linen  lace — it  wuz  some  I  had  on  a  nightcap, 
but  it  wuz  so  firm  it  had  wore  the  nightcap  out.  It 
wuz  a  very  good  and  amiable-lookin'  doll  when  we 
had  got  it  all  trimmed  off,  and  Snow  thought  her 
eyes  on  it. 

She  had  named  it  to  once  Samantha  Maggie  Tir- 
zah  Ann. 


278  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"  After  the  hull  caboodle  on  us,"  as  Josiah  said  ; 
but  at  my  request  she  called  it  Dolly. 

Good  land  !  I  thought  I  never  could  hear  her  a  goin' 
round  a  talkin'  about  Samantha  Maggie  Tirzah  Ann. 
The  idee !  It  would  have  been  too  much  for 
her. 

Wall,  she  wuz  a  settin'  a  playin*  with  Dolly,  and 
anon  sort  o'  lookin'  up  and  talkin'  to  somebody  she 
didn't  see.  Wuzn't  it  queer  how  she  would  always 
do  this,  and  smile  confidential  at  'em,  and  wave  her 
little  white  hand  to  'em  sometimes,  as  if  in  greetin'  or 
good-bye  ? 

Queer,  but  pretty  in  her,  so  I  always  thought. 

I  wish  I  knew  who  she  had  in  her  mind  when  she 
done  it,  or  if  she  see  anybody  or  hearn  anybody. 
For  once  in  a  while  she  would  sort  o'  lift  up  her  lit 
tle  smilin*  face  and  seem  to  listen — listen. 

Wall,  she  wuz  a  beautiful  child — and  every  child 
has  its  pretty  ways  and  its  dretful  curius  ones,  its 
angel  traits  and  its  tuther  ones.  Bless  their  sweet 
hearts,  wherever  they  be  !  I  love  the  hull  on  'em, 
and  can't  help  it. 

Boy  wuz  a  layin'  in  his  little  crib,  and  Genieve 
wuz  a  settin'  by  it  a  mindin'  the  child.  And  my  son 
and  daughter,  Thomas  Jefferson  and  Maggie,  wuz  a 
settin'  near  each  other  (that  is  where  they  would 
always  be  if  they  had  their  own  way). 

Thomas  J.  was  readin'  a  little  to  her  out  of  a  new 
book  that  come  in  a  box  of  books  the  night  before, 
and  Maggie  wuz  a  sewin'  on  a  little  white  dress  for 
Boy. 

Cousin  John  Richard  wuz  partly  a  layin'  down  on 
a  bamboo  couch  with  a  lot  of  pillows  to  his  back — he 


•"A   PERFECT  DAGON," 


280  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

had  had  a  dretful  backache  for  a  day  or  two.  But 
he  wuz  a  lookin'  some  more  comfortable  than  he 
had,  and  not  quite  so  wan,  but  he  wuz  still  fur 
wanner  than  I  loved  to  see  him.  I  myself  wuz  a 
knittin'  and  occasionally  a  liftin'  my  eyes  to  look 
over  the  path  that  led  to  the  village,  for  my  com 
panion  had  walked  down  there  to  get  a  pair  of  new 
suspenders. 

I  knew  it  wuzn't  time  for  him  to  get  back  yet  ;  but 
such  is  woman's  love,  I  kep'  watch  of  the  track  on 
which  I  expected  to  see  the  beloved  form  approach- 
in'  bimeby. 

That  man  is  almost  my  idol. 

It  hain't  right  to  worship  a  human  creeter  I  know  ; 
and  then  agin,  sometimes,  when  I  would  meditate 
on  the  wickedness  of  my  bein'  so  completely 
wrapped  up  in  him,  I  have  tried  to  exonerate  my 
self  by  this  thought  : 

The  children  of  Israel  wuz  commanded  not  to 
worship  anything  "that  wuz  like  anything  else  in 
heaven  or  on  earth.  And  I  have  sometimes  felt  that 
I  would  get  clear  on  that  head  if  I  knelt  to  him  every 
day  and  burned  incense  under  him,  and  made  a  per 
fect  Dagon  of  him. 

For  my  dear  companion  is  truly  onlike  anything  I 
ever  see  or  hearn  on  ;  his  demeaners  is  different,  and 
his  acts  and  his  talk  under  excitement.  And  his 
linement  looks  fur  different  from  any  other  iolks'es 
linements. 

But  I  am  a  digressin',  and  to  resoom. 

We  sot  there  as  happy  as  a  nest  full  of  turkle 
doves,  when  all  of  a  sudden  the  girl  come  up  with  a 
card  on  a  little  silver  server,  and  handed  it  to  Mag- 


SAM  A  NTH  A    O.V    THE   It  ACE  PROBLEM.  281 

gie  as  if  it  wuz  a  cracker  or  a  cup  of  tea,  and  Mag 
gie  took  it  and  read  out  : 

11  Colonel  Seybert." 

And  Thomas  J,  spoke  up  and  told  the  girl  to  ask 
the  Colonel  out  there  where  we  wuz  ;  and  so  she 
did,  and  sot  him  a  chair  by  Thomas  J.,  out  amongst 
the  rose- vines. 

He  come  in  as  polite  as  ever,  and  accosted  us  all 
in  a  very  genteel  way.  He  had  brought  Maggie  a 
great  bunch  of  orchids,  and  said  "  the  Madam  had 
sent  them  to  her  with  her  compliments." 

He  meant  his  wife — he  most  always  called  her  so. 

The  posys  he  brought  wuz  very  rare.  They  grow 
on  air  mostly,  and  only  have  the  very  slightest  soil 
to  connect  'em  with  the  earth. 

And  from  all  accounts  (I  thought  to  myself)  that 
wuz  the  way  that  his  angel  of  a  wife  lived  herself. 
Almost  all  of  the  roots  of  her  sweet  nater  wuz  in 
heaven.  Jest  enough  connection  with  this  world  so 
all  could  see  the  brightness  and  bloom  and  size  of 
the  divine  flower  of  holiness  that  sprung  up  out  of 
her  lone,  unhappy  life. 

Maggie  took  the  flowers  and  thanked  him,  and 
told  him  to  tell  Mrs.  Seybert  how  much  she  prized 
her  kind  thoughtfulness,  and  how  sorry  she  wuz  to 
hear  of  her  continued  ill  health. 

That  woman,  from  all  I  hear,  hain't  long  for  this 
world. 

Wall,  they  all  passed  the  time  of  day  in  politeness 
and  general  conversation,  till — for  my  life  I  can't 
hardly  tell  how  it  begun — but  I  believe  Col.  Sey 
bert  had  had  some  trouble  with  his  colored  help 
— but  anyway  and  tenny  rate,  Col.  Seybert  launched 


282  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

out  into  a  perfect  tirade  of  abuse  of  the  black 
race. 

He  didn't  notice  Genieve  a  settin'  there  no  more'n 
a  ice-cold  avalanche  would  stay  its  course  for  a  idle- 
wiss  blossom — no  ;  it  would  crunch  right  along 
down  and  crush  the  blossom  without  any  pity  or 
compunction. 

Good  land  !  you  don't  look  for  pity,  or  considera 
tion,  or  any  other  of  the  soft,  warm-souled  graces  in 
a  avalanche  of  snow  and  ice,  or  the  nater  of  a  bad 
man. 

But  I  jest  think  my  eyes  of  Genieve,  and  so  duz 
Maggie  and  all  on  us,  and  we  every  one  on  us  tried 
to  turn  the  conversation  into  more  peaceful  chan 
nels. 

Why,  I  myself  brung  up  religion,  turnips,  catnip, 
the  tariff,  the  Dismal  Swamp,  and  oranges,  a  tryin* 
to  get  his  mind  off. 

And  Maggie  brung  up  as  many,  if  not  more'n  \ 
did,  and  Thomas  J.  the  same,  and  etcetery. 

And  even  little  Snow,  seemin'  to  understand  what 
wuz  incumbent  on  her  to  do  as  a  little  lady,  brung 
up  the  doll  and  showed  her  to  the  Colonel,  and 
called  her  by  her  hull  name,  Samantha  Maggie  Tir^ 
zah  Ann. 

As  for  Cousin  John  Richard,  we  didn't  expect  no 
outlay  of  strength  from  him,  feelin',  as  he  did,  in 
pain  all  the  time. 

But  Maggie,  seein',  I  spoze,  our  efforts  wuz  futiler 
than  we  could  hope,  tried  to  make  another  diversion 
by  orderin'  in  a  pitcher  of  drink  made  from  the  juice 
of  oranges  and  pineapples,  very  sweet  and  delicious. 
But  he  drinked  it  right  off  and  went  on  ;  it  seemed 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  283 

to  jest  refresh  him  and  renew  his  strength  to  talk — 
we  see  he  couldn't  be  stopped  nohow. 

And  seem'  he  wuz  a  neighbor,  and  seein'  that 
Genieve  sot  there  jest  as  calm  as  a  mornin'  in  June, 
and  didn't  seem  to  care  a  mite  about  his  talk,  why, 
we  had  to  let  him  take  his  swing  and  talk  his  talk 
out. 

But  before  several  minutes  had  passed  I  jest  found 
myself  a  soarin'  up  onbeknown  to  myself,  and  I  felt 
that  I  must,  if  he  went  on  much  longer,  jest  wade 
in  and  give  him  a  piece  of  my  mind,  and  I  felt  that 
I  shouldn't  scrimp  him  in  the  piece  nuther. 

Why,  his  talk  wuz  scandalous. 

He  talked  as  if  the  blacks  wuz  of  no  more  conse 
quence  than  so  many  black  ants  on  a  ant-hill,  and  it 
seemed  as  if  he  would  love  to  jest  walk  right  over 
'em  and  crush  'em  all  down  under  his  heel. 

Why,  he  showed  such  a  deadly  horstility,  and 
contempt,  and  sco.  n  to  'em  and  to  everything  con 
nected  with  'em,  that  at  last  I  had  to  speak  out. 

And  sez  I,  "  If  you  feel  like  that,  I  shouldn't  think 
you  would  oppose  'em  in  their  skeme  of  coloniza 
tion."  (I  knew  jest  how  bitter  he  had  been  about 
his  brother  Victor  goin',  and  the  rest  of  his  laborers.) 

Sez  I,  "  I  should  think,  if  you  had  such  a  opinion 
of  'em,  the  sooner  you  could  get  rid  of  the  hull 
caboodle  of  'em  the  better  you  would  like  it." 

He  fairly  scowled,  he  looked  so  mad. 

But  the  thought  of  Genieve  sort  o'  boyed  me  up, 
and  duty,  and  I  didn't  care  for  his  black  looks,  not 
a  mite. 

And  I  felt  that  bein'  a  visitor  myself,  I  could 
branch  out  and  argue  with  him  to  a  better  advantage 


284  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

to  the  laws  of  horspitality  than  if  I  wuz  master  or 
mistress  of  the  house.  So,  as  I  sez,  seem'  him  de 
termined  to  cut  and  slash,  I  jest  boldly  waded  in. 

But,  good  land  !  of  all  the  talk,  he  did  go  on  and 
talk  about  the  deep  and  stupendous  folly  of  coloniza 
tion. 

Why,  he  brung  up  every  argument  he  could  think 
on  aginst  the  idee,  and  piled  'em  up  in  front  of  me. 
But  I  jest  sot  there  calmly  a  knittin',  a  seamin'  two 
and  one,  and  a  not  bein'  skairt  by  any  of  'em. 

And  pretty  soon — I  spoze  it  wuz  seein'  that  I 
looked  as  calm  as  a  summer  day — he  sort  o'  curbed 
himself  in,  as  it  were,  and  begun  to  talk  some  calmer 
and  composeder. 

And  sez  he,  "  If  there  wuz  no  other  insurmountable 
objection,  look  at  the  expense,  the  enormous  cost  of 
taking  the  blacks  to  Africa  and  supporting  'em  there 
till  they  could  become  self-supporting." 

And  I  sez,  "  Will  it  make  the  conundrum  any 
easier  to  get  the  answer  to,  to  wait  till  the  black  peo 
ple  are  twice  as  numerous  ?  They  obey  the  Bible 
strictly  when  it  tells  'em  to  multiply  and  replenish 
the  earth.  In  less  than  twenty  years  they  will  out 
number  the  white  race  here  by  a  million  or  more. 
What  will  be  done  then  ?" 

"  Keep  them  under,"  sez  he.  "  Let  them  keep 
their  place,  the  place  the  Lord  designed  them  for,  as 
servants  to  the  white  man.  And  then,"  sez  he,  "  one 
white  man  could  control  a  hundred  of  the  beasts." 

But  I  sez,  "  To  say  nuthin'  of  the  right  or  wrong 
of  that  matter,  that  day  has  gone  by.  They  have 
tasted  the  air  of  freedom,  and  that  sweet  air  always 
blows  out  the  flower  of  liberty,  not  slavery.  You 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  285 

can't  put  'em  back  in  their  chains  agin.  Education 
and  culture  and  the  Emancipation  Proclamation  has 
forever  done  away  with  that. 

"  You  can  never  make  'em  slaves  agin,  but  you 
can  be  their  slaves.  The  white  race,  so  long  domi 
nant,  if  it  still  cultivates  the  habits  of  tyranny,  and 
cruelty,  and  injustice,  it  can  be  made  slaves  to  the 
dominant  black  race  ;  for  it  is,  as  you  well  know, 
only  a  question  of  a  few  years  when  they  will  out 
number  the  white  people  here. 

"And  which  would  you  ruther  have,  the  black 
shadow  growin'  deeper  and  deeper  every  year  on 
this  continent,  and  sectional  hatred  and  race  preju 
dice,  and  fear,  and  distrust,  and  jealousy,  and  alarm, 
and  a  constant  variance  all  the  time,  onrest,  and  de 
spair,  and  helplessness— which  would  you  ruther 
have,  them  cruel  spirits  to  camp  down  by  you  for 
good,  and  a  growin'  worse  all  the  time,  or  to  make 
a  big  effort  and  heave  the  load  off  for  good,  and  clear 
the  air  of  all  the  bad  atmosphere  of  internal  and 
inevitable  war,  and  let  Peace  settle  down  on  this 
onhappy  land  agin  ?  For  it  would  be  jest  as  great 
a  relief  to  the  oppressor  as  to  the  oppressed.  Lots 
of  good  folks  South  have  all  their  life  groaned  under 
this  problem  of  what  to  do  with  this  burden  laid 
upon  their  backs  by  their  ancestors. 

'  They  wanted  to  do  right,  but  didn't  see  their 
way  clear.  They  wanted  to  solve  this  problem,  but 
it  wuz  too  big  for  'em." 

Then  Maggie,  bless  her  sweet  soul,  spoke  up,  and 
sez  she,  "  /believe  in  the  great  power  of  Christian 
ity  and  education." 

And  Col.  Seybert  sez,  "  They  have  got  too  much 


286  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

education  now  ;  that  is  what  ails  the  brutish  up 
starts.  In  the  old  times,  when  they  couldn't  read 
nor  write  nor  put  on  any  of  their  cursed  airs,  you 
could  get  along  as  well  again  with  them." 

Cousin  John  Richard  bent  on  him  a  look  that  held 
in  each  eye  a  hull  Sermon  on  the  Mount  and  the 
Ten  Commandments,  besides  lots  of  Gospel,  and 
pity,  and  a  sort  of  contempt  too. 

It  wuz  a  strange  look. 

But  I  wouldn't  demean  myself  by  even  answerin' 
him,  but  replied  to  my  daughter,  and  sez  : 

"  I  don't  see  how  any  one  can  help  thinkin'  that 
Christianity  and  education  are  the  best  solutions  of 
this  problem  that  can  possibly  be  found  if  the  black 
man  remains  here/'  or  wherever  he  is,  I  added  rea 
sonably,  in  my  own  mind. 

'  These,  with  an  educated  sufferage,  that  includes 
the  best  of  black  and  white,  male  and  female,  bond 
and  free,  is,  in  my  opinion,  the  only  hope  of  this 
Nation  under  these  circumstances. 

"  But,"  sez  I,  "  religion,  though  it  can  do  almost 
anything,  yet  there  are  some  things  it  hain't  never 
done,  and  I  don't  spoze  ever  will  do  :  it  hain't  never 
took  the  spots  offen  a  leopard's  back  or  made  a 
jackal  coo  like  a  dove  or  a  serpent  walk  upright,  or 
a  turkle  dove  mate  with  a  tiger. 

The  One  who  made  all  nater  and  true  religion, 
who  holds  the  heavens  and  earth  and  seas  in  His 
hands,  has  laid  down  certain  laws  ever  sence  the 
creation  of  the  world.  And  it  is  perfectly  impossi 
ble  for  us  to  break  down  them  laws,  or  climb  over 
'em,  or  creep  under  'em. 

"  There  they  are,  firm,  immutible,  not  to  be  stirred 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE    PROBLEM.  287 

one  jot  or  tittle  by  all  the  strength  that  can  be 
brought  to  bear  aginst  'em.  And  Hypocrisy  and 
Cant  hain't  a  goin'  to  help  any  by  sayin'  that  Re 
ligion  is  a  doin'  sunthin'  that  it  can't  do. 

"  So,  what  can  we  do?  All  we  have  got  to  do  in 
this  matter  is  to  acknowledge  them  laws  and  submit 
to  'em  ;  ignorin'  'em  or  walkin'  by  'em  with  our  heads 
up  in  the  air  a  pretendin'  we  don't  see  'em  don't 
amount  to  anything  at  all,  only  we  are  liable  to 
stumble  and  fall  down  ourselves. 

"And  one  of  these  laws  is  the  inherient  difference 
between  the  black  and  the  white  races. 

'  There  is  no  use  a  arguin'  on  it  and  a  sayin'  that  it 
is  onreasonable,  and  it  ort  to  be  overcome,  etc. 

Who  sez  it  is  reasonable  ?  I  don't.  It  would  be 
awful  convenient  sometimes  if  water  would  run  up 
hill  ;  but  it  won't.  And  I  have  to  accept  the  plain 
fact  and  lug  the  water  up  hill  in  a  pail.  For  me  to 
stand  on  top  of  the  hill  and  holler  for  it  to  come  up 
would  be  foolish.  I  might  yell  all  my  life,  and 
couldn't  start  a  drop  up  hill,  and  my  lungs  would  be 
tired  out  for  nuthin'.  And  you  might  think  some 
times  that  a  good  old  childless  cat  might  adopt  a 
mouse  ;  but  she  won't,  only  in  one  way.  Mebby  it 
hain't  Christian  in  her,  but  she  wuz  made  that  way. 
If  she  accepts  it  at  all,  it  will  be  inside  of  her.  I 
can't  help  it,  and  she  can't.  She  wuz  made  that  way 
before  the  mountains  wuz  formed,  like  as  not. 

"  Religion  can  do  much,  but  it  never  has  made 
black  white  or  put  the  nater  of  a  eagle  into  a  snail, 
or  the  virtues  of  a  angel  under  the  hide  of  a  bear. 

"And  the  spellin'  book  is  extremely  desirable  and 
good,  and  highly  worthy,  and  to  be  praised.  But 


288  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

then  there  are  things  too  strong  for  education  to 
overcome.  For  instance,  to  draw  up  the  simely 
that  I  have  drawed  before — it  hain't  poetick,  but  one 
which  is  familiar  to  men  or  wimmen  :  Education 
can't  put  a  number  seven  foot  into  a  number  three 
shoe. 

No,  it  can't  be  did,  and  education  may  orate  to 
them  big  toes  in  Greek  or  Latin,  and  it  may  read 
essays  to  'em  in  words  of  seven  or  eight  syllables, 
and  quote  all  the  poets  to  'em,  livin'  or  dead,  but  it 
hain't  a  goin'  to  quell  'em  down,  and  make  'em  any 
smaller.  It  hain't  a  goin'  to  get  'em  into  that 
shoe. 

"And  when  folks  talk  too  much  about  the  sud 
den  miracles  that  education  and  Christian  teachin' 
is  going  to  do  to  the  black  race,  and  seem  to  expect 
'em  to  become  perfect  all  to  once,  I  want  to  ask  'em 
why  it  hain't  made  our  own  race  perfect  ? 

"  The  white  race  has  had  the  benefit  of  Christian 
ity  and  Education  for  hundreds  of  years,  and  all  the 
means  of  culture,  and  it  hain't  hendered  'em  from 
bein'  as  mean  as  the  Old  Harry  to  the  black  man, 
and  they  despise  and  wrong  the  negro  jest  as  much 
to-day  as  if  St.  Paul  had  never  preached  or  Jesus 
had  not  died  for  the  world." 

(I  meant  some  on  'em — I  didn't  mean  all  ;  but  I 
wuz  kinder  carried  away  by  my  own  eloquence.) 

"  Now,"  sez  I,  "  it  is  a  settled  thing,  and  can't 
be  got  round,  this  inherient,  instinctive  difference 
between  the  black  and  white  races — if  they  would, 
they  never  can  amalgamate  and  be  a  united  people. 

"  I  have  said  it  and  repeated  it  time  and  agin,  and 
it  is  true  every  time,  and  will  keep  on  bein'  true 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  289 

'  after  my  poor,  feeble,  falterin'  tongue  lies  silent  in 
the  grave.'  ' 

I  sez  this  in  a  kinder  him  axent,  very  strikin'  and 
touchin',  but  Col.  Seybert  wuzn't  touched  nor  struck 
by  it,  as  I  could  see  ;  but  I  kep'  on  all  the  same. 

"As  I  have  said,  time  and  agin,  this  law  has 
stood  ever  sence  creation  ;  and  so  what  is  the  use  of 
thinkin'  it  can  be  broke  up  by  writin'  on  a  little  slip 
of  paper  at  Washington,  D.  C.  ? 

"  Good  land  !  angels  and  principalities,  and 
powers,  and  things  present  and  things  to  come, 
nor  height,  nor  depth,  nor  any  other  creeter  has 
never  made,  any  difference  in  that  law,  nor  never 
will. 

"And  then  how  silly  to  think  a  little  mite  of 
paper,  made  out  of  old  rags  and  straw,  mebby,  and 
wrote  over  with  a  few  man-made  words  by  a  steel 
pen,  is  a  goin'  to  overcome  this  law  and  vanquish  it  ! 
Why,  it  can't  be  done.  And  your  talk,  and  my  talk, 
and  talk  from  all  the  pulpits  and  legislators  in  the 
world  is  only  a  few  whiffs  of  air  a  blowin'  over  this 
law — a  refreshin'  of  it,  so  to  speak. 

"  Now,  this  is  a  settled  thing,  and  it  only  remains 
for  us  to  deal  with  it  the  best  way  we  can." 

Col.  Seybert,  I  believe,  wuz  fairly  browbeat  and 
stunted  to  hear  such  remarkable  eloquence  from  a 
female  ;  but  he  wouldn't  demean  himself  by  ownin' 
it— in  fact,  he  wanted  to  give  me  a  rebuke  for  ven- 
turin'  out  of  what  he  considered  a  woman's  spear. 

He  did  not  dain  a  reply  to  me,  but  he  kinder 
wheeled  round  in  his  chair  and  accosted  Cousin 
John  Richard.  He  hadn't  said  a  word  to  him— only 
when  he  wuz  introduced  to  him  he  passed  the  usual 


290  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE   PROBLEM. 

compliments.  But  he  had  hearn  about  him  a  sight, 
I  know,  and  his  labors  amongst  the  freedmen,  and  I 
spoze  mebby  half  of  his  mean  talk  had  been  aimed 
at  that  good  creeter  a  layin'  there  on  the  lounge  with 
a  rug  over  his  feet  and  three  piasters  onto  his  dear 
achin'  back. 

And  then  he  didn't  want  to  hear  me  talk  any  more 
— I  could  see  that,  and  he  branched  right  off  onto 
another  branch  of  the  subject,  and  sez  he  to  John 
Richard  : 

I  should  think  your  preaching  would  have  some 
effect  if  you  are  a  preacher  of  Christ.  You  ought  to 
teach  the  niggers  to  depend  on  the  consolation  of 
the  Gospel,  and  you  ought  to  preach  the  Gospel  of 
Peace  ;  and  that  means,  I  should  think,  to  have  the 
niggers  obey  their  masters,  and  so  save  war  and 
bloodshed,  instead  of  inciting  them  to  rebellion  and 
putting  absurd  ideas  into  their  heads  about  coloniza 
tion  and  a  country  of  their  own."  He  spoke  in  a 
dretful  sneerin',  disagreeable  tone,  that  madded 
me  more'n  considerable  ;  but  John  Richard's  face 
wuz  as  serene  as  new  milk,  and  he  answered  calmly, 
in  a  voice  kinder  low  from  sickness,,  but  clear  as 
a  silver  bell  : 

"  The  Book  says,  '  There  is  a  time  for  peace  and  a 
time  to  resist  oppression.' ' 

And  I  spoke  up  agin,  bein'  bound  to  take  John 
Richard's  part,  and  keep  him  from  talkin'  all  I 
could,  sick  as  he  wuz,  and  them  plasters  all  a 
drawin'. 

I  sez,  "  No  doubt  the  colonies  wuz  preached  to  to 
set  down  in  chains  and  enjoy  religion,  and  give  up 
all  idees  of  independence  ;  but  our  old  4  fathers 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 


291 


couldn't  be  made  to  feel  so.  They  seemed  to  feel 
that  the  time  had  come  when  the  Lord  wuz  a  goin' 
to  lead  'em  out  into  freedom.  And  they  felt  they 
wuz  a  preachin'  the  Gospel  of  Liberty  and  Freedom, 
the  backbones  of  Christianity,  when  they  struck  out 
for  Independence." 


A  KU-KLUXER. 


Cousin  John  Richard  looked  real  satisfied  to  me, 
though  wan,  as  I  went  on,  and  sez  he  : 

"  Yes,   to  resist  intolerable  and   unjust  laws  has 
always  been  considered  lawful  and  right." 

'  But,"  sez  Col.  Seybert,  "  the  Bible  commands 
you,  if  you  are  smitten  on  one  cheek  to  turn  the 
other  also." 

Then  why  don't  you  do  it  ?"  sez  I,  all  wrought 
up.       '  Your  race  has  had  centuries  of  Christianity 


292  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

to  civilize  and  Christianize  it,  and  why  don't  you  set 
a  example  to  the  ignorant  ones?  Maik  out  a  sam 
pler  that  they  can  foller  on  and  copy.  Why  don't 
your  Regulators  and  your  Ku-Kluxers  turn  their 
right  cheeks  ?  I'd  love  to  have  'em  turn  'em  to  me 
a  spell,"  sez  I  darkly. 

Col.  Seybert  kinder  snorted  out  sunthin'  that  I 
didn't  quite  hear.  I  believe,  and  always  shall,  that 
there  wuz  a  cuss  word  in  it  ;  but  I  didn't  care,  and 
before  I  could  speak  agin,  Cousin  John  Richard's 
calm  voice  riz  up  a  sayin'  : 

'  You  say  this  race  is  totally  ignorant  and  brutish, 
and  yet  you  expect  high  qualities  from  them— ex 
traordinary  virtues.  You  expect  patience  more 
perfect  than  long  years  of  training  has  given  the 
white  race.  You  expect  endurance,  nobility,  for 
bearance,  forgiveness  of  injuries  and  wrongs— in  fact, 
you  expect  the  goodness  of  angels  and  the  wisdom 
of  Solomon,  and  expect  an  insolvable  problem  to  be 
solved  by  those  you  rank  with  your  cattle. 

'  It  is  a  strange  thing,"  sez  Cousin  John  Richard, 
as  he  lay  back  agin  on  his  cushions.  But  I  went  up 
and  gin  him  a  spoonful  of  spignut  before  I  let  him 
speak  agin. 

Col.  Seybert  waved  off  John  Richard's  noble  re 
buke,  and  went  on  on  his  old  ground  : 

'  Your  teachers  and  preachers  have  overrun  the 
South  ever  since  the  War,  with  your  carpet-bags  full 
of  Bibles  and  hymn-books,  and  tracts,  and  spelling- 
books.  Why  don't  you  sit  dow-n  now  and  wait  and 
see  the  fruit  of  your  labors  ripen  about  you  instead 
of  encouraging  them  in  this  preposterous  idea  of 
colonization  ?" 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  293 

But  Cousin  John  Richard  sez  gently  but  strongly  : 

"  Perhaps  this  is  the  fruit  that  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  is  causing  to  spring  up  from  the  seeds  plant 
ed  in  the  hearts  of  this  people.  Perhaps  the  full 
ripening  of  this  fruit  depends  upon  the  sunshine  of 
another  and  a  calmer  sky." 

'  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  who  knows  but  this  race,  who 
stood  harmless  and  patient  durin'  the  War,  while 
the  first  half  of  their  chains  wuz  bein'  struck  often 
'em,  who  showed  such  a  spectacle  of  remarkable 
magnanimity  and  wisdom  that  the  hull  world  ad 
mired  and  wondered,  and  who  used  their  first  weak 
strength  to  fight  for  the  safety  of  the  race  that  had 
held  them  in  bondage — the  race  that  could  do 
this,"  sez  I,  "  has  got  the  strength  and  the  divine 
nobility  and  wisdom  to  get  their  full  liberty  in  a 
nation  of  their  own  without  the  sound  of  a  gun  or 
the  liftin'  of  an  arm  in  warfare. 

'  They  will  do  it,  too,"  sez  I,  carried  away  and  en 
thused  by  the  thought  of  how  this  people  had  stood 
still  and  see  the  salvation  of  the  Lord. 

Sez  I,  They  will  not  turn  into  a  brutal,  blood 
thirsty  mob  now,  after  '  Thus  far  the  Lord  hath  led 
them  on.'  " 

I  repeated  these  last  words  in  my  melodius  him 
axents  ;  but  Col.  Seybert  wuzn't  melted  by  it — no, 
indeed. 

He  went  on  in  witherin'  axents  aginst  the  idee  of 
colonization  ;  sez  he  in  conclusion  : 

'  If  there  was  not  any  other  insurmountable  ob 
jection  to  the  project,  the  expense  would  be  so  enor 
mous  that  the  Government  never  would  nor  never 
could  undertake  it." 


294  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM, 

"  As  to  the  never  could,  we  might  leave  that 
out,"  sez  I,  "  and  deal  with  the  never  would.  For 
the  never  could  hain't  true.  If  a  war  should  break 
out  to-morrow  between  this  country  and  England, 
do  you  believe  that  this  country  never  could  furnish 
the  means  to  carry  it  on  ?  Why,  it  would  seem  the 
easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  raise  millions  on  mill 
ions  of  dollars. 

"  It  would  seem  the  only  thing  and  the  right 
thing  to  do  to  imegiatly  and  to  once  raise  ten  times 
the  amount  that  would  be  necessary  to  take  the  hull 
black  race  to  the  Congo  Valley  and  support  'em 
there  for  a  year. 

'  They  would  do  this  because  public  safety  de 
manded  it  ;  and  I  can  tell  'em  plain  that  they  will 
most  probable  see  the  day,  and  pretty  soon  too,  that 
the  public  safety  demands  'em  to  do  as  they'd  ort  to 
in  this  case. 

'  Who  got  the  black  race  here  ?  They  didn't 
want  to  come — no,  fur  from  it.  This  nation  got  'em 
here  ;  and  now,  as  the  two  races  can't  live  together 
in  peace,  and  the  land  is  gettiri'  too  small  for  both  of 
'em,  if  the  white  race  don't  want  to  leave  the  coun 
try  themselves,  let -'em  carry  this  people  back  to  the 
land  they  stole  'ern  from. 

"  They  wouldn't  all  go  ;  it  hain't  probable  nor 
possible  to  suppose  such  a  thing. 

"  There  are  many  who  would  be  perfectly  willin' 
to  remain  here,  and  who  would  perhaps  be  better 
off  by  doin'  so — many  aged  ones  who  would  choose 
to  stay  here  and  go  to  heaven  from  the  land  of  their 
adoption,  many  who  have  a  flourishin'  business,  and 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM.  295 

are  doin'    well  here,   and  who  do   not  wish  an  im 
mediate  change. 

'  But  the  Race  Problem  would  be  solved  if  the 
main  body  of  the  host  passed  over  into  the  New  Re 
public.  The  few  that  remained  would  not  endanger 
the  commonwealth,  and  would  most  likely,  in  the 
fulness  of  time,  and  as  the  glowin'  story  of  the  New 
Republic  reached  their  ears,  be  gathered  into  the 
Land  of  Promise,  to  become  leaders  there,  and  help 
ers  of  the  weak." 

Sez  Col.  Seybert,  "  They  would  starve  there. 
They  are  a  low,  degraded,  helpless,  lazy  set.  They 
had  rather  lay  in  the  sun  and  do  nothing  than  to 
work." 

As  Col.  Seybert  said  this  he  lay  back  in  his  chair 
in  a  still  more  lazy  and  luxurious  manner,  and 
stretched  out  his  long  legs  in  the  sun. 

(What  wuz  he  doin'  himself,  I'd  like  to  know  ? 
Talk  about  laziness  !  the  idee  !) 

And  I  sez,  "  Wall,  it's  easier  for  most  folks  to 
rest  than  it  is  for  'em  to  work.  As  to  their  entire 
helplessness  and  ignorance,  twenty-five  years  ago 
there  wuz  never  an  escapin'  Union  prisoner  who 
found  a  negro  so  low  and  ignorant  that  he  could  not 
help  him  to  escape  ;  or  so  destitute  of  resources  and 
influence  that  he  could  not  command  the  help  of 
other  black  men. 

In  fact,  there  wuz  a  great  silent  army  kep'  up 
under  the  surface,  a  systematic  underground  rail 
road,  maintained  and  controlled  in  the  most  efficient 
and  prudent  manner  by  this  despised  people  all 
through  the  War.  Twenty-five  years  of  partial 


"PILOT   A   HELPLESS    UNIONIST." 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  297 

education  and  partial  freedom  has  not  weakened  this 
foresight  and  caution. 

'  If  they  could  carry  on  this  secret  and  most  dan 
gerous  enterprise  right  under  the  eyes  of  their  ene 
mies  without  violence  or  bloodshed,  if  they  could, 
under  peril  of  detection  and  death,  pilot  a  helpless 
Unionist  through  a  network  of  dangers — Confed 
erate  soldiers,  spies,  pickets,  false  friends,  and  foes 
—out  into  safety,  it  seems  as  if  they  might  conduct 
their  own  selves  through  the  environing  camps  of 
ignorance  and  need,  out  into  safety  and  prosperity. 

Specially,  as  they  would  be  out  from  under  the 
paralyzin'  gaze  of  enemies,  out  where  they  wuz 
breathin'  free  air,  and  amongst  friends. 

I  have  been  spozin',''  sez  I,  "  that  the  Nation 
should  do  as  it  ort  to,  and  when  it  borrys  a  thing 
take  it  back  home  agin,  jest  as  I  would  do  if  I  bor- 
ryed  a  cat  of  Miss  Gowdey,  or  Josiah  would  do  if 
he  borryed  a  horse. 

'  We  should  carry  'em  back  when  we  got  through 
with  'em,  specially  if  we  stole  'em  (though  you 
wouldn't  ketch  us  at  it). 

'  I  have  been  spozin'  that  Uncle  Sam  should  rig 
out  a  few  ships  and  put  some  money  in  his  pockets, 
and  take  back  a  few  shiploads  of  this  people,  and 
start  'em  to  livin'  in  the  beautiful  Congo  Valley. 

'  I  should  think  as  much  agin  of  him  if  he  would. 
And  he  would  think  more  of  himself,  I  would  bet. 

He  would  stand  riz  up  in  the  eyes  of  the  other 
admirin'  nations  of  the  world  as  a  man  that  wuz  hon 
est  and  laid  out  to  do  as  he  had  ort  to  do,  and  as 
he  would  be  done  by. 

'  Why,  if  Uncle   Sam   had   been  stole  away  from 


298  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

his  home  and  his  faithful  Columbia,  and  had  been 
worked  to  death,  and  whipped,  and  abused  every 
way,  wouldn't  he  be  glad  to  be  took  back  to  his  own 
home  agin,  and  wouldn't  he  expect  the  ones  that 
stole  him  to  do  it  ? 

'  Yes,  indeed. 

'  Then  why  hain't  he  willin'  to  do  as  he  would  be 
done  by  ? 

But  as  I  say,  I  have  been  spozin'  this,  that 
Uncle  Sam  should  turn  honest  and  do  this  ;  but 
some  think  the  colored  people  would  do  it  them 
selves. 

'  They  have  amassed  millions  of  dollars  sence  the 
War,  in  the  face  of  the  almost  intolerable  drawbacks 
put  upon  'em.  You  will  find  thousands  of  'em 
ownin'  their  houses  and  lands  ;  you  will  find  thou 
sands  and  thousands  of  wealthy  ones  ;  you  will  find 
a  hundred  thousand  graduates  of  schools  and  col 
leges,  and  fillin'  every  station— lawyers,  clergymen, 
senators,  and  every  place  where  merit  can  win,  and 
the  law  couldn't  keep  them  down—they  have  found 
their  way.  That  don't  look  like  entire  helplessness 
and  ignorance,  duz  it  ?  for  they  have  done  all  this 
with  the  tide  settin'  full  aginst  'em,  right  in  the 
face  of  class  prejudice,  and  unjust  laws,  and  customs, 
and  rivalry,  and  hatred." 

"  Well,  of  course,"  sez  Col.  Seybert,  "  there  are 
some  intelligent  niggers,  and  industrious  ones  ;  but 
look  at  the  mass,  the  ignorant,  depraved,  totally  in 
competent  ones." 

And  I  sez,  "  There  has  been  a  few  in  our  own 
race,  ignorant,  shiftless,  lazy,  and  depraved,  who  has 
learnt  the  colored  men  to  be  vicious  for  200  years. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  299 

And  as  for  laziness,  it  seems  as  if  there  had  to  be 
some  drones  amongst  the  hive  of  busy  workers. 
Nater  has  seemed  to  plan  it  so  for  some  reason,  I 
can't  tell  why,  nor  Josiah  can't. 

Now,  with  our  bees,  there  are  sights  of  drones 
that  don't  do  nuthin' — only  steal  and  eat  up  what  the 
workers  work  so  hard  for. 

"  I  don't  see  why  it  is  so  ;  it  is  one  of  Nater's 
mysterys. 

"  And  in  all  communities  there  has  got  to  be  some 
lazy,  shiftless  hangers-on.  And  the  strong  will  have 
to  do  till  the  end  of  time,  so  far  as  I  can  see,  what 
the  Bible  tells  'em  to  :  '  Bear  the  burdens  of  the 
weak. ' 

'  I  don't  know  as  there  will  ever  be  any  change," 
sez  I,  lookin'  dreamily  off  beyend  Col.  Seybert  into 
the  everlastin'  strangeness  of  things  present  and 
things  to  come—"  I  don't  know  as  there  will  ever  be 
any  change  in  that  particiler,  for  the  Bible  sez  ex 
pressly  : 

'  The  poor  you  always  have  with  you.' 

"  And  always  means  always,  I  spoze  ;  and  poor 
means  poor  in  every  sense  of  the  word,  I  have  cal 
culated. 

"  And  that  text  applies  to  black  and  white  folks 
alike. 

But  as  I  have  said  prior  and  heretofore,  if  the 
colored  people  have  done  so  well  in  the  last  twenty- 
five  years,  in  spite  of  all  the  burdens  and  hindrances 
of  race  prejudice  and  the  weights  that  unjust  laws 
impose  on  'em,  by  the  hatred  and  envy  of  them  that 
can't  bear  to  see  their  prosperity — if  they  have  done 
so  well  in  the  chill  and  the  dark,  as  yo:i  may  say, 


300  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

what  can't  they  do  when  they  come  out  in  the  light 
and  the  warmth  of  a  place  where  sure  rewards  wait 
upon  honest  labor — where  the  atmosphere  is  helpful, 
and  inspiring  and  hopeful,  instead  of  icy,  and  drag- 
gin'  down,  and  chokin',  and  stiflin'. 

"  Where  their  color  is  fashionable,  and  not  a 
badge  of  disgrace. 

'  Where  their  rulers  will  be  them  that  love  'em 
and  seek  their  best  good,  their  own  people,  their 
peers,  only  wiser  and  more  helpful  than  they  be— as 
the  Declaration  of  Independence  sez  free  men  must 
be,  in  a  free  land,  judged  by  their  peers,  their  equals. 

'  Where  there  will  not  be  dishonest  members  of 
an  alien  and  dominant  race  to  step  in  and  steal  their 
first  poor  earnings  in  the  name  of  law.  or  might,  or 
both. 

Where  their  daughters,  if  beautiful,  will  be  free 
from  their  ruler's  lust,  and  their  small  possessions 
safe  from  his  avarice. 

'  If  in  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  in  this  perse 
cuted,  hampered  state  they  have  been  able  to  ac 
cumulate,  in  one  of  the  worst  States  of  the  Union 
for  them,  six  million  dollars'  worth  of  property, 
what  can  they  do  in  the  next  twenty  years,  when 
their  labor  and  their  persons  will  be  protected  by 
the  law,  and  they  will  be  encouraged  by  wise  ad 
vice,  and  their  intellects  and  reason  enriched  and 
broadened  by  education  and  means  of  culture?" 

Genieve's  dark,  beautiful  eyes  jest  brightened  and 
glowed  as  I  talked  ;  she  fairly  hung  onto  my  words, 
as  I  could  see. 

'  But,"  sez    Col.    Seybert,  "  they    don't    want   to 


SAM  ANT  HA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  301 

Thomas  J.  leaned  back  in  his  chair  in  deep  enjoy 
ment  of  his  Ma's  talk,  as  I  could  see  plain  ;  and  he 
says  to  Col.  Seybert  : 

"  How  do  you  know  they  don't  want  to  go  ?" 


"  SET    DOWN    IN   OUR    SWAMP." 

"  Because  I  do  know  it,"  sez  he.  "  They  say 
they  are  not  Africans  now,  but  Americans  ;  they  have 
a  right  here  ;  they  have  just  as  good  right  here  now 
as  we  have." 

"  Wall,  I  don't  dispute  that  idee,"  sez  I. 

"  I  have  got  a   right  to  go  and  set  down  in  our 


3->2  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

swamp  and  set  there  ;  but  I  should  be  dretful  apt  to 
get  all  covered  with  mud  and  mire,  I  couldn't  see 
nuthin'  but  dirt  and  slosh  ;  the  bad,  nasty  air  would 
make  me  deathly  sick,  to  say  nuthin'  of  my  bein'  bit 
to  death  by  muskeeters  and  run  over  by  snakes  and 
toads,  etc. 

It  hain't  a  question  of  right — nobody  could  dis 
pute  that  I  would  have  a  right  to  stay  there  if  I  wuz 
a  minter  ;  but  the  question  is,  would  it  be  as  well  for 
me  as  it  would  to  move  up  on  the  higher  ground  out 
of  the  filth,  and  darkness,  and  sickly,  deathly  air  and 
influences,  etc.,  etc.,  etc.  ?" 

Col.  Seybert  waved  off  these  noble  and  convincin' 
remarks  of  mine,  and  kep'  on  a  sayin'  his  former  say. 
And  he  spoke  the  words  in  the  axent  of  one  who  has 
settled  the  matter  and  put  on  the  final  argument. 

'  They  don't  want  to  go,  that  is  a  reason  nobody 
can  get  round." 

He  looked  triumphant,  as  if  lie  had  settled  the  hull 
matter  ;  but  he  hadn't. 

I  sez,  "  I  d'no  whether  they  do  or  not  ;  you  say 
they  don't,  somebody  else  may  say  they  do.  But 
anyway,  I  don't  know  as  that  is  much  of  a  reason," 
sez  I  ;  for  my  mind  is  such  that  as  I  hearn  Col.  Sey- 
bert's  big,  swellin'  talk,  my  mind  seemed  to  look  at 
the  matter  from  Genieve's  and  Victor's  eyes  more 
and  more — I  am  made  so,  jest  so  sort  o'  curius. 

But  I  am  all  made  now,  and  can't  help  it  ;  I  have 
got  to  take  myself  as  I  am. 

And  I  sez,  "  I  don't  know  as  that  is  very  much  of 
a  reason  about  their  not  wantin'  to  go.  I  don't  be 
lieve  there  has  ever  been  any  blows  struck  for  free 
dom  and  liberty  sence  the  world  begun  but  what 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  303 

there  has  been  some  that  the  blows  wuz  a  bein'  dealt 
for,  to  hang  onto  the  axe-helve  and  beg  the  choppers 
to  stop. 

"  There  has  always  been  them  who  had,  as  Mr. 
Shakespeare  sez,  '  Ruther  endure  the  ills  they 
have  than  fly  round  to  others  that  they  don't  know 
so  much  about/  sort  o'  oncertain. 

"  Strikin'  blows  for  freedom  hain't  like  cuttin' 
down  a  tree.  You  know  what  you  are  a  strikin' 
when  you  hit  into  a  maple  or  a  ellum.  The  axe  hits 
aginst  sunthin'  solid,  and  the  chips  fly. 

"  But  strikin'  out  for  freedom  is  sometimes  a  hit- 
tin'  out  aginst  emptiness  in  the  dark.  You  know 
your  cause  is  good,  you  know  you  are  a  fightin'  for 
the  most  precious  thing  in  the  world,  but  you  can't 
exactly  see  before  you,  and  you  don't  feel  anything 
solid,  and  you  don't  see  the  chips  fly — it  is  sort  o' 
oncertain  and  resky. 

'  You  can't  seem  to  see  the  immediate  result  of 
your  blows.  And  so  it  hain't  no  wonder  to  me  that 
lots  of  weak  ones,  and  skairt  ones,  and  so-called 
prudent  ones,  cry  out  and  hang  onto  the  axe  and 
try  to  stop  the  noble  chopper's  hands.  They  don't 
want  a  change.  The  old  Torys  in  the  Revolution 
didn't  want  a  change.  It  wuz  strikin'  out  in  the 
darkness  and  bringin'  dangers  and  war  onto  their 
heads.  They  didn't  want  to  go  away  from  English 
rule. 

"  But  the  noble  band  of  choppers  kep'  on  a  hack- 
in'  the  tree  of  tyranny  till  it  crashed  down  and  they 
walked  over  its  prostrate  trunk  into  freedom  ;  and 
the  weak  ones  wuz  glad  enough  when  the  dangers 
wuz  all  past,  and  they  sot  down  under  the  joy  bells 


304  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

of  1776  and  leaned  their  backs  up  aginst  Bunker 
Hill,  and  enjoyed  themselves  first  rate. 

"  The  Israelites  didn't  want  a  change.  They 
didn't  want  to  go  out  of  the  land  of  bondage.  Lots 
of  livin'  ties  united  'em  to  the  land  of  their  birth, 
ind  lots  of  onseen  ones  too-  The  graves  of  their 
ancestors,  and  memories,  and  loves,  and  joys,  and 
sorrows  all  hung  onto  their  heart-strings,  and  they 
didn't  want  to  go. 

"  But  Moses  wuz  in  the  right  on't.  And  they 
come  out  at  last  into  a  land  flowin'  with  milk  and 
honey. 

"  And  they  wuz  glad  they  went. 

"  The  Unbelievers  didn't  want  Jesus  for  a  King 
and  a  Ruler — they  didn't  want  a  change.  They  fit 
aginst  God's  plan  for  'em,  and  conquered,  so  they 
thought.  But  they  didn't,  and  now  the  world  is 
glad  on't,  as  it  stands  under  the  glow  a  fallin'  from 
the  glorious  twentieth  century. 

"  Ask  the  United  Christian  Nations  of  the  World 
if  it  hain't  a  blessed  change.  Ask  'em  if  they 
hain't  glad  they  went  out  of  the  superstitions  and 
bondage  of  the  old  dispensation,  out  into  the  glorious 
liberty  of  the  Gospel,  out  under  the  blessed  rule  of 
the  Prince  of  Peace. 

"  No,  Col.  Seybert,  I  don't  think  it  is  much  of  a 
reason,  even  if  it  is  true,  to  say  that  the  negroes 
don't  want  to  go.  In  all  these  cases  I  have  brung 
up — and  I  might  go  on  a  bringin'  'em  up  and  a  layin' 
'em  down  in  front  of  you  for  hours  and  hours  if  it 
would  do  any  good — but  in  all  on  'em,  as  in  these 
supreme  cases  I  have  mentioned,  what  difference 
did  it  make  in  the  end  whether  the  majority  wuz 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


3°5 


willin'  or  not  to  be  saved,  only  in  the  discourage 
ment  and  trouble  it  made  the  noble  few  who  see 
clear  from  the  beginnin'  to  the  end  ? 

"What  difference  did  their  onwillingness  make  ? 
The  best,  the  right   wuz  done.     The  minority  wuz 


HE    HASTENED   OFF." 


wise  and  the  majority  wrong,  as  is  dretful  apt  to  be 
the  case  in  this  world.  And  the  people  wuz  led 
through  darkness,  and  sorrow,  and  onwillingness  out 
into  the  broad  sunshine.  Led  through  Jordan's 
stormy  waves,  out  into  '  Canaan's  fair  and  happy  land, 
where  their  possessions  lay.' ' 

I  had  fell  into  that  kinder  melodius  axent  of  mine 
almost  entirely  onbeknown  to  me,  for  it  wuz  from  a 


306  S A  MA  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

him  that  I  wuz  quotin'.     But  it  didn't  seem  to  im 
press  Col.  Seybert  as  I  wanted  it  to. 

He  looked  at  his  watch,  and  sez  he  : 

"  I  have  got  a  pressing  engagement  in  just  five 
minutes  by  my  watch  ;  I  will  bid  you  good-day." 

And  he  hastened  off,  and  Thomas  Jefferson 
laughed,  and  sez  he  : 

'  You  talked  him  out,  mother  ;  but/'  sez  he,  "  I 
didn't  know  as  you  believed  so  strongly  in  coloniza 
tion  ;  I  never  heard  you  talk  just  in  this  way  be 
fore." 

"Wall,"  sez  I,  "the  Race  Problem  is  such  a 
enormous  conundrum  that  it  is  hard  to  know  jest 
how  to  get  the  right  answer  to  it.  But,"  sez  I,  "  I 
wuz  a  talkin'  jest  now  from  Genieve's  platform,  I 
wuz  a  viewin'  the  subject  from  her  standpoint,  and 
from  Victor's,  and  also,"  sez  I,  glancin'  to  where 
that  dear  man  lay,  lookin'  pleasant  as  ever,  "  from 
Cousin  John  Richard'ses  ;"  and  I  added,  "  consid 
erable  from  my  own."  And  sez  I,  a  turnin'  to 
Genieve  where  she  sot  quietly  with  Boy  in  her  arms, 
"  You  don't  feel  any  oncertainty  as  to  this  conun 
drum,  do  you  ?  You  see  your  way  clear  to  a  right 
answer  ?" 

"  Yes,"  sez  she.  And  her  eyes  wuz  as  clear  as 
two  wells  of  pure  water  on  which  the  stars  wuz  a 
shinin'. 

Yes,  I   know  what  is    best  and   what  will  take 
place  in  God's  own  time." 

There  it  wuz,  no  more  doubt  in  her  mind  about 
the  negroes  havin'  a  country  and  a  nation  of  their 
own  some  time  than  there  wuz  to  Moses  as  he  stood 
on  the  mountain-top  and  looked  over  Jordan's 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  307 

stormy  banks  into  the  land  that  should  be  the  home 
of  his  weary  and  sorrowful  people. 

Genieve  stood  upon  some  invisible  mountain-top  ; 
we  couldn't  see  this  rise  of  ground,  our  eyes  wuz 
too  weak,  but  her  feet  wuz  placed  there.  And  she 
see  over  the  rollin'  billows  of  turbulent  factions,  and 
swellin'  hatred,  and  mistaken  zeal,  and  perils  from 
friends,  and  perils  from  foes,  and  perils  from  high 
places,  and  perils  from  low  ones,  and  the  black 
waters  of  ignorance,  and  laziness,  and  discontent, 
and  old  habits  and  customs  a  breakin'  up  and  a 
dashin'  their  spray  here  and  there,  and  all  the  hor 
ror  and  woe  and  danger  of  an  uprisin'  and  a  exodus 
—she  see  over  all  these  swellin'  waves  into  the  fair 
country  that  lay  bey  end. 

We  couldn't  see  the  calm  sunshine  that  lit  the 
Promised  Land,  but  we  could  see  a  faint  glow  from 
its  radiance  in  Genieve's  inspired  eyes. 

She  didn't  say  much,  but  her  look  spoke  volumes 
and  volumes. 


TO   KISS   SNOW   AND    BOY    GOOD  NIGHT." 


CHAPTER   XIV. 


(^       I j    .^J  HAT  very  night  I  went  into  Genieve's 
I  V  room  to  kiss   Snow  and  Boy  good- 

I  night. 

j  I  But  both  the  darlin's  wuz  fast  asleep, 

•  —  Snow  in  her  little  white  bed  and  Boy 
in  his  crib.  Their  faces  looked  like  fresh  roses 
aginst  their  white  pillers,  and  I  did  kiss  'em  both, 
but  light,  so  as  not  to  wake  'em  up. 

Sweet  little  creeters,  I  think  my  eyes  on  'em. 

Genieve,  I  see,  when  I  went  in  wuz  a  readin'  some 
book,  and  as  I  looked  closter  at  it  I  see  it  wuz  the 
Bible.  I  see  she  wuz  a  readin'  about  her  favorite 
topick,  the  old  prophets  and  their  doin's  and  their 
sayin's. 

And  as  I  sot  down  a  few  minutes  by  the  side  of 
my  sweet  darlin's  she  begun  to  talk  to  me  about 
Daniel,  and  St.  John,  and  some  of  the  rest  of  them 
good,  faithful  old  prophets. 

Why,  she  wuz  brung  up  with  'em,  as  you  may  say. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  309 

She  had  sot  under  them  old  prophets  ever  sence 
she  had  sot  at  all. 

And  why  shouldn't  she  went  on  about  'em  and 
love  'em  when  she  had  fairly  drinked  in  their  weird, 
fascinatin'  influence  with  her  mother's  milk? 

She  wuz  a  readin'  about  Daniel  jest  as  I  went  in— 
about  how  Daniel  stood  by  the  deep  waters  and 
heard  a  voice  say  in'  to  him  : 

"  Understand." 

And  sez  she,  with  her  great,  beautiful  eyes  all 
aglow,  "  Don't  you  think  that  we  who  stand  by  deep 
waters  to-day  can  hear  the  voice  if  we  listen  ?" 

'  Yes,"  sez  I,  "  I  believe  it  from  the  bottom  of 
my  heart  ;  if  we  do  as  Daniel  did,  '  set  our  hearts  to 
understand/  we  can  be  kep'  from  perils  as  he  wu2, 
and  we  can  hear  that  Divine  Voice  a  biddin'  us  to 
understand  and  to  be  strong." 

Sez  I,  "  I  believe  that  Voice  almost  always  comes 
to  us  in  the  supreme  moments  of  our  greatest  need. 
When  we  have  been  mournin'  as  Daniel  had,  and 
'  eaten  no  pleasant  bread,'  and  lay  with  our  faces  on 
the  ground  by  the  deep  waters,  then  comes  One 
to  us,  onseen  by  them  about  us,  and  touches  our 
bowed  heads  and  sez  : 

'  Beloved,  fear  not.     Peace  be  unto  thee.     Be 
strong.     Yea,  be  strong. ' ' 

And  then  we  went  on  and  talked  considerable,  and 
she  told  me  how  her  mother  had  read  to  her,  as  soon 
as  she  wuz  able  to  understand  anj^thing,  all  about 
the  prophets,  and  how  she  had  always  loved  to 
think  about  'em  and  their  divine  work. 

And  I  told  her  I  felt  jest  so  ;  I  thought  they  wuz 
likely  old  creeters,  them  and  their  wives  too. 


310  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  A' ACE  PROBLEM. 

And  Genieve  looked  up  dretful  startled  and  sur 
prised,  and  said  she  had  never  thought  about  their 
wives,  not  at  all. 

And  I  sez,  "  Like  enough,  nobody  duz.  Nobody 
ever  did  think  anything  about  old  Miss  Daniel,  or 
Miss  Zekiel,  or  any  of  'em.  Nobody  ever  thought 
of  givin'  the  wimmen  any  credit,  but  they  deserve 
it,"  sez  I.  "I  believe  they  wuz  likely  old  females, 
every  one  of  'em." 

Genieve  still  looked  dretful  wonderin',  and  as  if  I 
had  put  a  bran  new  idee  into  her  head.  As  much 
as  she  had  pondered  and  studied  them  prophets,  she 
never  had  gin  a  thought  to  them  good  old  females — 
faithful,  hard-workin'  creeters,  I  believe  they  wuz. 

And  she  sez,  sez  she,  "  I  never  thought  anything 
about  them,  whether  they  had  any  troubles  or  not." 

"  No,"  sez  I,  "  I  spoze  not,  but  I  believe  they  had 
'em,  and  I  believe  they  had  a  tuckerin'  time  on't 
more'n  half  the  time. 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  "it  stands  to  reason  they  had. 
While  their  husbands  wuz  a  sally  in'  out  a  prophesy- 
in',  somebody  had  to  stay  to  home  and  work,  split 
kindlin'  wood,  etc." 

Genieve  looked  kinder  shocked,  and  I  sez  warmly  : 

"  Not  but  what  I  think  a  sight  of  them  old 
prophets,  sights  of  'em.  My  soul  burns  within  me, 
or  almost  burns,  a  thinkin'  of  them  old  men  of  whom 
the  world  wuz  not  worthy,  who  had  to  tell  the 
secret  things  that  the  Lord  had  revealed  to  'em  to 
the  ears  of  a  blasphemin'  and  gainsayin'  world.  I 
jest  about  worship  'em  when  1  think  of  their  trials, 
their  persecutions,  their  death  for  duty's  sake. 

"  But  while  I  honor  them  old  men  up  to  the  very 


S  4  MA  NT  HA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  311 

highest  pint  honor  can  go  in  a  human  breast,  still  I 
have  feelin's  for  their  wives — I  can't  help  feelin' 
sorry  for  them  poor  old  creeters. 

"  Not  a  word  do  we  hear  about  them,  and  it  makes 
me  feel  bad  to  see  my  sect  so  overlooked  and  brought 
down  to  nort. 

"  And  I'll  bet  (or  would  bet  if  it  wuzn't  for  princi 
ple)  that  old  Miss  Daniel,  and  Miss  Zekiel,  and 
Miss  Hosey,  and  Miss  Maleky,  and  all  the  rest  of 
them  old  female  wimmen  had  a  tough  time  on't. 

"  Why,  if  there  wuzn't  anything  else  to  trouble  'em, 
it  wuz  enough  to  kill  any  woman  to  see  the  torment 
and  persecutions  that  follered  on  after  the  man  she 
loved.  To  see  'em  wanderin'  about  in  sheepskin 
and  goatskin,  and  bein'  afflicted,  and  destitute,  and 
tormented. 

'  That  wuz  enough  to  break  down  any  woman's 
happiness  ;  but  they  had  to  buckle  to  and  work  head 
work  most  likely  to  take  care  of  themselves  and 
their  children. 

'  Destitute  '  means  privation  and  starvation  for 
old  Miss  Prophet  and  the  children,  as  well  as  for 
the  husband  and  father. 

"  And  I'll  bet  that  old  Miss  Hosey  and  Miss  Maleky 
jest  put  to  it  and  worked  and  made  perfect  slaves  of 
themselves. 

"  And  with  all  this  work,  and  care,  and  privation 
on  their  minds  and  hearts,  they  couldn't  have  got 
such  a  dretful  sight  of  sympathy  and  companion 
ship  out  of  their  husbands,  to  say  nuthin'  of  help  and 
out-door  chores. 

'  For  though  the  old  prophets  wuz  jest  as  likely  as 
likely  could  be  and  did  what  wuz  perfectly  necessary 


312  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

and  right,  still  while  they  wuz  out  in  the  streets  n 
hollerin'  '  Woe  !  woe  !  to  this  wicked  city  !'  etc., 
etc.,  they  couldn't  at  the  same  time  be  to  home  a 
talkin'  affectionate  to  their  pardners  or  a  sawin' 


AND    KILLED    HER   HENS. 


wood.  I'll  bet  old  Miss  Maleky  picked  up  more  than 
half  she  burned,  and  split  pretty  nigh  all  her  own 
kindlin*  wood,  and  killed  her  hens,  and  sot  'em, 
etc..  etc 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  313 

u  Them  days  seem  a  good  ways  off  to  us,  and  things 
seen  through  the  misty,  hazy  atmosphere  of  so  many 
years  seem  sort  o'  easy  to  us. 

"  But  I  don't  spoze  water  would  bile  then  without 
a  fire  no  more  than  it  would  now.  And  I  spoze  the 
dishes,  or  whatever  they  kep'  their  vittles  in  then, 
had  to  be  washed. 

"  And  I  spoze  the  goatskins  and  sheepskins  that 
them  good  old  men  wandered  round  in  had  to  be 
cleaned  every  now  and  then — it  stands  to  reason  they 
did.  And  I  don't  believe  them  prophets  did  it  ;  no. 
I  don't  believe  they  had  the  time  to,  even  if  they 
thought  on't. 

"  No  ;  I  dare  presume  to  say  that  every  time  you 
found  a  prophet  you  would  find  some  woman  a  tak- 
in'  care  on  him,  so  he  could  have  the  freedom  of 
mind  and  the  absence  of  domestic  cares  neces 
sary  to  keep  his  soul  the  calm  medium  through 
which  divine  truth  could  pour  down  upon  a  sinful 
world. 

'  The  sieve  must  be  held  right  end  up  or  you  can't 
sift  through  it  ;  hold  it  sideways  or  bottom  end  up, 
and  where  be  you  ? 

"  No  ;  old  Miss   Hosey  and   Miss  Maleky,  I  dare 
presume  to  say,   jest   wrastled  round    with    house 
hold  cares  and  left  them  old  men  as  free  as  they 
could. 

'  I'll  bet  the  minds  of  them  good  old  prophets 
wuzn't  opset  with  pickin'  geese  and  ketchin'  gob 
blers,  or  makin'  hens  set,  or  fastenin'  down  the  tent 
stakes  if  the  wind  come  up  sudden  in  the  night. 

"  No  ;  I'll  bet  Miss  Hosey,  that  good  old  creeter, 
got  up  herself  and  hung  onto  them  flappin'  ends  and 


314  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

drove  down  the  stakes  herself,  so's  Mr.  Hosey  could 
get  a  little  sleep.  Or  if  little  Isaac,  or  Lemuel,  or 
Rebeckah  Hosey  wuz  took  sudden  with  the  croup 
or  infantum,  I'll  bet  it  wuzn't  old  Mr.  Hosey  that 
got  up  and  hunted  round  for  the  goose  oil,  or  groped 
his  way  round  and  started  up  a  fire,  and  steeped 
catnip,  and  heat  cloths,  and  applied  'em. 

"  No  ;  it  wuz  that  good  old  female  creeter  every 
time,  I  wouldn't  be  afraid  to  say  it  wuz. 

"  And  ten  to  one  if  her  pardner  didn't  wake  up  and 
ask  her  '  what  she  wuz  makin'  such  a  noise  for  in 
the  middle  of  the  night,  and  tell  her  she  wuz  jest 
spilin'  them  children  a  indulgin'  'em  so,  and  if  she 
had  kep'  their  sandals  on,  they  wouldn't  have  took 
cold/  etc.,  etc.,  etc. 

"  And  then  if  she  got  into  bed  agin  with  cold  feet 
he  complained  bitterly  of  that. 

' '  And  so,  I  dare  presume  to  say  Miss  Hosey  or 
Miss  Maleky,  as  the  case  might  be,  sot  up  with  them 
children,  pulled  one  way  by  her  devoted  affection 
for  'em,  and  the  other  way  by  her  wifely  love,  and 
tried  to  keep  'em  as  still  as  she  could,  and  shet  up 
them  babies  if  they  went  to  cry,  for  her  husband's 
sake,  and  tried  to  doctor  'em  up  for  their  own  sake, 
and  felt  meachin'  through  it  all,  borne  down  by  the 
weight  of  her  husband's  onmerited  blame  and  fault- 
findin'. 

"And  the  next  mornin',  I  dare  presume  to  say, 
she  went  round  with  a  headache,  and  got  as  good  a 
breakfast  as  she  could  with  what  she  had  to  do  with  ; 
and  if  her  husband  waked  up  feelin'  kind  o'  chirk 
and  said  a  kind  word  to  her,  or  kissed  her,  I  dare 
say  she  forgot  all  her  troubles  and  thought  she  had 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  315 

the   best  husband  in   the  world,  and  she  wouldn't 
change  places  with  anybody  on  earth. 

'  For  female  human  nater  is  about  the  same  from 
Eve  down  to  she  that  wuz  Samantha  Smith. 

"  And  then  I  dare  presume  to  say  that  as  bad  as 
she  felt,  and  as  much  as  she  needed  a  nap,  she  jest 
helped  him  off  on  his  prophesying  trip,  did  every 
thing  she  could  for  his  comfort  before  he  went, 
brushed  his  goatskin,  and  mebby  cleaned  it,  and 
took  care  of  the  children  till  he  come  back,  fed  the 
camels,  and  watered  the  goats,  and  I  dare  presume 
to  say  got  kicked  by  'em,  as  bad  as  she  felt. 

"  Made  her  butter—like  as  not  she  had  a  big 
churnin'—  or  a  baggin'  I  don't  know  but  it  ort  to  be 
called — I  spoze  they  used  a  bag  instead  of  a  churn. 

"And  then  mebby  she  had  lots  of  little  young 
goats  and  camels  to  bring  up  by  hand.  I  shouldn't 
wonder  if  she  had  a  camel  corset  that  took  lots  of 
care. 

"And  then  mebby  she  had  a  lot  of  onexpected 
company  come  onto  her — old  Miss  Aminidab  and 
her  daughter-in-law,  and  old  Miss  Jethro,  and  Miss 
Lemuel  and  her  children,  a  perfect  tent  full,  and  she 
had  to  buckle  to  and  get  dinner  for  'em,  and  mebby 
dinner  and  supper  ;  and  it  would  be  jest  like  'em  to 
stay  all  night,  the  hull  caboodle  of  'em,  and  mebby 
she  had  to  pound  every  mite  of  corn  herself  before 
she  cooked  for  'em. 

"  And  she  all  the  while  with  a  splittin'  headache, 
and  her  back  a  achin'  as  if  it  would  break  in  two. 

"  And  then  jest  as  they  got  onto  their  camels  and 
sot  out  home  agin,  then  like  as  not  old  Mr.  Hosey 
would  come  borne  all  wore  out  and  oust  rung  from 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE   rROBLEM. 


"ONEXPECTED   COMPANY." 


the  persecutions  he  had  had  to  contend  with,  and 
that  good  old  female,  as  beat  out  as  she  wuz,  would 
have  to  go  to  work  to  string  him  up  agin,  and  soothe 
him,  and  encourage  him  to  go  on  with  his  prophesy- 
in'  agin. 

'But  who  thinks  anything  of  these  old  female 
wimmen's  labors  and  suffering  ?  .  Nobody. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  317 

"  Who  thinks  of  their  martyrdom,  their  efforts  in 
the  good  cause,  and  the  help  they  gin  the  old  male 
prophets  ?  Nobody,  not  one. 

"  I  spoze  the  account  of  these  things  bein'  writ 
down  by  males  and  translated  by  'em  makes  a  differ 
ence  ;  it's  sort  o'  naterel  to  stand  up  for  your  own 
sect 

"  But  folks  ort  to  own  up,  male  or  female  ;  and 
them  old  females  ort  to  have  justice  done  'em. 

"  And  though  it  is  pretty  late  in  the  day — thou 
sands  of  years  have  flown  by,  and  the  dust  of  the 
desert  lays  deep  over  their  modest,  unassumin' 
graves,  where  they  have  lain  unnoticed  and  over 
looked  by  everybody — 

"  But  here  is  one  in  Jonesville  that  is  goin'  to 
brush  away  the  thick  dust  that  has  drifted  down 
over  their  memory,  and  tell  my  opinion  of  'em. 

"  It  is  too  late  now  to  tell  them  old  Miss  Prophets 
what  I  think  of  'em,  thousands  of  years  too  late  to 
chirk  'em  up,  and  lighten  their  achin'  hearts,  and 
brighten  their  sad  eyes  by  lettin'  'em  know  the  deep 
sympathy  and  affection  I  feel  for  'em. 

"  I  can't  make  'em  hear  my  words,  the  dust  lays 
too  thick  over  their  ears. 

"  But  yet  I  am  a  goin'  to  say  them  words  jest  out 
of  a  love  for  justice. 

"  Justice  has  stood  for  ages  with  the  bandage  on 
tight  over  her  eyes  on  one  side,  on  the  side  of  wim- 
men,  and  her  scales  held  out,  blind  as  a  bat  to  what 
them  old  females  done  and  suffered. 

"  But  she  has  got  a  little  corner  lifted  now  on  the 
side  of  wi'mmen  ;  Justice  is  a  beginnin'  to  peek  out 
and  notice  that  '  male  and  female  created  He  them.' 


318        SAM  AN  TH A  ON  THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"  Bein'  so  blind,  and  believin'  jest  what  wuz  told 
her,  Justice  had  got  it  into  her  head  that  it  read  : 

"  '  Male  created  He  them.' 

"  Justice  never  so  much  as  hearn  the  name  of  wim- 
men  mentioned,  so  we  spoze. 

"  But  she  is  a  liftin'  up  her  bandage  and  lookin' 
out ;  and  it  stands  to  reason  she  can  weigh  as  well 
agin  when  she  can  see  how  the  notches  stand. 

"  Jest  even,  so  I  figger  it  out,  jest  even,  men  and 
wimmen,  one  weighin'  jest  as  much  as  the  other. 

"  If  there  are  some  ingregiencies  in  one  of  'em 
that  are  a  little  better,  that  weigh  a  few  ounces 
more,  lo  and  behold  !  in  the  other  one's  nater  and 
soul  are  a  few  ounces  of  different  goodness  that  even 
it  up,  that  weigh  enough  more  to  make  it  even. 

"  If  Justice  takes  my  advice — and  I  spoze  mebby 
she  will,  knowin'  I  am  a  female  that  always  wished 
her  well,  even  in  her  blind  days— if  Justice  takes  my 
advice  she  won't  put  on  her  bandages  agin,  she  Avill 
look  out  calm  and  keen  and  try  to  weigh  things 
right  by  the  notch,  try  to  hold  her  steelyards  stiddy. 

"And  no  matter  what  is  put  into  'em — men,  wim 
men,  colored  folks  or  white  ones — get  the  right 
weight  to  'em,  the  hull  caboodle  of  'em,  black  or 
white,  rich  or  poor,  bond  or  free. 

"  She  will  get  along  as  well  agin,  and  take  more 
comfort  herself. 

"  It  must  have  been  a  tejus  job  for  her  to  be  a 
standin'  up  there  a  weighin'  things  as  blind  as  a 
bat." 

But  sez  I,  as  I  kinder  come  to  myself,  and  glanced 
up  at  the  little  clock  over  the  bureau  : 

"  I  am  a  eppisodin',  a  eppisodin'  out  loud,  and  to 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  319 

a  greater  extent  than  I  ort  to,  and  it  is  bedtime," 
sez  I. 

Genieve  looked  sort  o'  bewildered  and  strange, 
and  said  "  she  had  enjoyed  my  talk,"  and  I  dare  pre 
sume  to  say  she  had,  for  she  hain't  one  to  lie. 

But  it  vvuz  bedtime,  and  I  went  to  my  own  peace 
ful  room.  My  beloved  pardner  wuz  fast  asleep  and 
a  dreamin'  most  likely  about  the  farm  and  Ury  ;  and 
if  he  dreamed  some  about  Philury,  I  didn't  care,  I 
hain't  one  of  the  jealous  kind.  »  And  I  knew  his 
dreams  would  be  perfectly  moral  and  well-behaved 
ones  anyway. 


MISERY." 

CHAPTER  XV. 

BOUT  five  months  after  Rosy's  maiv 
riage  her  old  grandmother's  "  mis 
ery*'  become  greater  than  she  coald 
endure,  or  ruther  a  sudden  cold 
which  she  took  proved  fatal  to  her, 
and  she  took  to  her  bed,  and  after  a 
week's  illness  passed  away. 

She  wuz  stayin'  with  Rosy  when  she  wuz  took 
sick,  and  Maggie  and  I  did  everything  we  could  do 
to  relieve  her  wants  and  help  her  ;  but  I  see  the  first 
time  I  put  my  eyes  on  her  face  after  her  seizure  that 
we  could  not  help  her — it  wuz  pneumonia  ;  it  carried 
her  off  after  a  few  days  of  sufferin'. 

The  night  before  her  death  I  went  down  to  her 
cabin  with  a  basket  of  jelly  and  broth  and  fruit,  but 
she  wuz  beyend  takin'  any  nourishment. 

She  wuz  propped  up  on  pillows,  her  black  face  in 
marked  contrast  to  the  snowy  linen  that  Maggie 
had  furnished  for  her  bed. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  321 

Genieve,  patient  nurse,  wuz  settin'  by  her,  her 
beautiful  face  wearin'  its  usual  look  of  triumphant 
sorrow,  joyful  ignominy,  or — I  don't  know  as  I  can 
describe  the  look  in  words,  but,  anyway,  she  had  the 
look  she  always  had,  different  from  anybody  else's, 
more  sorrowful,  more  riz  up,  more  inspired. 

The  Book  of  books  wuz  in  her  hand  ;  she  had 
been  readin'  to  her  till  she  had  fallen  asleep. 

At  last  Aunt  Clo  opened  her  eyes  and  looked  up 
long  and  thoughtfully  into  the  beautiful  and  pityin' 
face  bent  above  her,  and  finally  she  said  to  Genieve  : 

"  Honey,  did  you  come  down  out'n  de  Beloved 
City  dat  you  read  me  about  ?" 

"  Oh,  no,  Aunt  Clo.  Don't  you  know  me  ?  lam 
Genieve,  your  old  friend  Genieve." 

"  1  done  thought  I  see  a  light  round  your  fore 
head,  honey.  It  seems  like  I  did see  de  light ;  sure 
you  hain't  one  of  dem  angels  ?" 

"  Oh,  no,  Aunt  Clo  ;  you  know  me,  don't  you  ?" 

And  Genieve  lifted  her  head  and  gave  her  a 
spoonful  of  the  hot  broth  I  had  brought. 

She  sunk  back  on  the  pillow,  and  after  a  minute 
said,  with  the  old  persistency  that  Aunt  Dinah  wuz 
wont  to  cling  to  any  idee  she  had  formed  : 

"  It  jess  seems  as  if  I  did  see  de  light  a  shinin' 
down  out  of  your  eyes,  honey,  into  my  ole  heart." 

A  more  peaceful  look  settled  down  upon  the  face 
that  had  been  drawn  and  seamed  with  "  the  misery." 
And  when  she  fell  into  her  last  sleep  the  same  ex 
pression  remained. 

And  I  wondered  if  indeed  Genieve's  sweet  soul 
did  not  by  some  magnetism  of  attraction  draw  down 
a  band  of  bright  spirits  whose  heavenly  looks  wuz 


322 


SAM  AN  TH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


"  WHEREFOAH,  BREDREN,  LET   US   PRAY." 

reflected  upon  her  own,  and  if  indeed  a  glow  from 
the  heavens  she  tried  to  picture  to  the  old  black 
woman  might  not  be  reflected  dimly  into  her  poor 
old  heart. 

But  we  see  through  a  glass  darkly  ;  we  may  not 
see  clearly  into  the  beauties  and  wonders  of  the 
Beloved  City. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  323 

Genieve  stayed  and  rendered  all  the  assistance  she 
could.  She  stayed  as  long  as  she  wuz  needed. 

But  as  soon  as  the  news  got  out  that  Aunt  Clo 
wuz  dead,  a  crowd  of  her  relations,  near  and  distant, 
come  in  and  took  possession  of  the  cottage  and 
begun  preparations  for  an  elaborate  funeral. 

A  colored  minister  wuz  sent  for,  and  he  preached 
a  long  sermon  in  which  her  virtues  wuz  held  up  as  a 
pattern,  and  her  sudden  death  as  a  warnin'  for  'em 
all  to  be  ready  for  "  de  Master's  call,  which  might 
come  in  de  night  time,  or  in  de  heat  and  burden  of 
de  day,  but  wuz  shuah  to  come.  Shuah,  young, 
careless  girl  ;  shuah,  gay,  happefyin'  young  man, 
for  de  trumpet  must  sound,  and  de  dead  must  go  at 
de  bugle  call  of  de  Reapeh. 

"  He  reaps  de  flowehs  of  de  gahden,"  sez  he, 
pintin'  to  the  grave  of  Belle  Fanchon,  which  wuz 
not  fur  from  the  cabin-door. 

"  He  reaps  de  flowehs  in  all  deir  beauty,  an*  de 
ripe  grain  an'  de  wheat.  Dis  wheat  we  lay  in  de 
grave  to-day,  knowin'  dat  de  incorruption  will  rise 
up  incorruptible,  an'  de  glory  will  come  up  glorious, 
an'  we  shall  all  see  it  in  de  twinklin'  of  de  eye — an' 
wherefoah,  bredren,  let  us  pray." 

And  he  knelt  down  and  offered  up  a  prayer  full  of 
faith,  and  pathos,  and  the  wise  ignorance  of  his 
childlike  race. 

Rising  up  from  his  knees,  he  directed  the  mourn 
ers  to  pass  in  front  of  the  coffin  and  view  the  re 
mains,  which  they  did  with  loud  groanings  and  many 
tears  and  exclamations  of  grief. 

Then  the  coffin  wuz  closed,  and  the  minister  stood 
up  in  front  of  it  and  sez  : 


3^4  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"  Christians,  fall  into  line." 

And  the  church-members  silently  fell  into  line  two 
by  two  till  they  wuz  all  in  their  places. 

Then  he  sez,  "  Sinners,  fall  into  line." 

And  the  irreligious  came  forward  jest  as  calmly 
and  took  their  places,  and  the  procession  moved  off, 
and  Aunt  Clo  wuz  carried  away  to  her  last  sleep,  in 
a  little  colored  graveyard  some  mile  and  a  half 
away. 

I  told  Josiah  about  it  after  I  got  home  ;  I  sez  : 

II  The  good  and  the  bad  always  f oiler  on  after 
every  departed  friend  ;  but  I  never  see  'em  sorted 
out  so  careful  before,  and  I  never  see  such  a  calm 
willingness  to  be  put  amongst  the   goats  as   I  see 
there." 

"  Wall,"  sez  he,  "  they  knew  they  wuz  goats,  so 
what  wuz  the  use  of  kickin'  ?" 

"  Wall,"  sez  I,  "  I  have  seen  white  folks  lots  of 
times  that  must  have  known  they  wuz  goats,  but 
they  didn't  love  to  be  sorted  out  on  the  left  side, 
and  no  money  could  have  made  'em  walk  up  and  fall 
into  a  sinner's  line." 

Sez  he,  "  If  they  be  sinners,  why  can't  they  own 
up  to  it  ?  I  would  if  I  wuz  a  sinner." 

But  I  felt  that  it  wuz  ofttimes  hard  work  to  tell 
the  difference  ;  and  I  sez  : 

"  I  am  glad  it  hain't  me  that  has  to  do  the  sepa- 
ratin'  between  the  good  and  the  bad,  for  I  shouldn't 
know  where  to  lay  holt,  appearances  are  so  deceit 
ful  sometimes.  Sheepskins  are  wore  often  over 
goats,  and  anon  a  sheep  puts  on  the  skin  and  horns  of 
a  goat  to  face  the  world  in  and  fight  with  it.  I 
shouldn't  know  where  to  begin  or  leggo." 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  325 

"Wall,  that  is  because  you  are  a  woman,"  sez 
Josiah.  "  Wimmen  never  know  where  or  how  to  lay 
holt  of  any  hard  work  or  head  work.  I  could  do  it 
in  a  minute,  and  any  man  could  that  wuz  used  to 
horned  cattle." 

I  sithed  and  thought  to  myself  the  thought  I  had 
entertained  more  or  less  ever  sence  I  stood  up  with 
Josiah  Allen  at  the  altar.  How  different,  how  differ 
ent  my  pardner  and  I  looked  on  some  things,  and 
how  impossible  it  wuz  seemingly  for  us  to  ever  get 
the  same  view  on  'em. 

But  I  didn't  multiply  any  more  words  with  him, 
knowin'  it  wouldn't  be  of  any  use  ;  and  then  agin,  as 
I  looked  clost  at  him,  I  see  a  shade  of  serious  pensive- 
ness,  and  even  sadness,  as  it  were,  a  shadin'  down 
onto  his  eyebrow. 

And  my  talk  didn't  seem  to  lighten  it  any  as  I 
went  on  and  told  him  that  they  said  that  this  cus 
tom  of  dividin',  as  it  were,  the  sheep  and  the  goats 
wuz  practised  a  good  deal  in  different  parts  of  the 
South. 

But  I  still  see  the  shadowy  shade  on  his  foretop, 
and  went  on  more  cheerful,  and  told  him  that  the  lit 
tle  boy  Abe  wuz  goin'  to  be  took  into  the  family  of 
the  good  colored  preacher,  so  he  wuz  sure  of  a  good 
home  and  good  treatment. 

But  in  vain  wuz  all  my  cheerful  perambulations  of 
conversation.  I  see  that  he  looked  demute,  and 
broodin*  over  some  idee  ;  and  finally  he  spoke  out : 

"  Samantha,  goin'  to  funerals,  or  hearin'  about 
'em,  puts  folks  to  thinkin'." 

'  Yes,  it  duz,  Josiah  ;"  and  sez  I,  in  quite  a  solemn 
axent,  "  it  stands  us  all  in  hand  to  be  prepared." 


ABE. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  327 

Sez  he,  "I  wuzn't  thinkin'  of  that  side  of  the 
subject,  Samantha  ;  but  it  brings  back  to  me  that 
old  thought  and  fear  that  has  been  growin'  on  me 
for  years  more  or  less.  Samantha,"  sez  he,  "  I 
worry,  and  have  worried  for  years,  for  fear  that  you 
will  some  time  be  left  a  relict  with  nuthin'  to  lean  on. " 

I  glanced  up  at  him,  and  the  thought  come  to  me 
instinctively  that  it  would  be  the  ondoin'  of  us  both 
if  I  should  try  to  lean  heavy  on  him  now,  for  my 
weight  is  great,  and  he  is  small-boneded,  and  I  knew 
that  he  would  crumple  right  down  under  the  weight 
of  200  pounds  heft. 

But  I  didn't  speak  my  thoughts — oh,  no  *,  I  merely 
looked  at  him  real  affectionate,  and  I  took  up  a  sock 
I  wuz  mendin'  for  him  (we  wuz  in  our  own  room), 
and  I  attackted  it  as  socks  should  be  attackted  if  you 
lay  out  to  make  'em  good  and  sound.  And  he  went 
on  still  more  confidential  and  confidin',  and  told  me 
several  things  he  thought  I  had  ort  to  do  if  I  wuz 
ever  left  a  relict  of  him. 

It  wuz  real  touchin',  and  I  wuz  considerable  affect 
ed  by  it— not  to  tears— no  ;  I  thought  I  wouldn't 
shed  any  tears  if  I  could  help  it,  for  darnin'  is  close 
work,  andr  it  calls  for  all  the  eyesight  you  have 
got ;  and  then  I  had  on  a  new  gray  lawn  dress  that  I 
felt  would  spot  easy  ;  so  I  restrained  my  emotions 
with  a  almost  marble  composure,  and  anon  I  sez  to 
him  as  he  wuz  a  goin'  on  in  that  affectin'  way,  and 
sez  I  : 

"  I  may  be  took  first,  Josiah  Allen." 

And  he  admitted  that  that  might  be  the  case, 
though  he  couldn't  bear  to  think  on't,  he  said,  it  gin 
him  such  awful  feelin's. 


3*8  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

He  said  he  had  never  been  able  to  think  on't  with 
any  composure.  But  after  a  while  he  talked  more 
diffuse  on  the  subject,  and  owned  up  that  he  had 
thought  on't ;  and  sez  he,  in  a  still  more  confidin' 
and  affectionate  way  : 

"  For  years,  Samantha,  I  have  had  it  in  my  head 
what  I  would  put  on  your  tombstun  if  I  should  live 
to  stand  up  under  the  hard,  hard  blow  of  havin'  to 
rare  one  up  over  you. 

"  I  have  thought  I  should  have  it  read  as  follere, 
and  to  wit,  namely  : 

'  Here  lies  Samantha,  wife  of  Deacon  Josiah 
Allen,  Esquire,  of  Jonesville.  Deacon  in  the  Meth 
odist  Church,  salesman  in  the  Jonesville  cheese  fac 
tory,  and  a  man  beloved  and  respected  by  every  one 
who  knows  him  but  to  love  him,  and  names  him  but 
to  praise. ' 

"  Its  endin'  in  poetry,  Samantha,  wuz  jest  what  I 
knew  wuz  touchin',  dumb  touchin',  and  would  be 
apt  to  please  you  ;  and  it  is  always  a  man's  aim  to 
write  the  obituarys  of  his  former  deceased  pardner 
in  a  way  that  would  suit  her  and  be  pleasin'  to  her." 

Sez  I  calmly,  "  Yes,  I  should  know  a  man  wrote 
that  if  I  read  it  in  the  darkest  night  that  ever  rolled, 
and  I  wuz  blindfolded." 

"  Wall,"  sez  he  anxiously,  "don't  it  suit  you? 
Don't  you  think  it  is  uneek,  sunthin'  new  and 
strikin'  ?" 

"Oh,  no,"  sez  I,  "no,  it  hain't  nuthin'  new  at 
all  ;  but  mebby  it  is  strikin' — or  that  is,"  sez  f,  "it 
depends  on  who  is  struck." 

'  Wall,"  sez  he,  "  it  is  dumb  discouragin',  after  a 
man  racks  his  brains  to  try  to  get  up  sunthin'  strong 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM  329 

and  beautiful,  to  think  a  woman  can't  be  tickled  and 
animated  with  it." 

Sez  I  calmly,  "  I  hain't  said  that  I  wuzn't  suited 
with  it."  And  sez  I  with  still  more  severe  axents, 
for  I  see  he  looked  disappointed,  '  I  will  say 
further,  Josiah,  that  it  meets  my  expectations  fully  ; 
it  is  jest  what  I  should  expect  a  male  pardner  to 
write." 

"Wall,"  sez  he,  lookin'  pleaseder  and  more  sat- 
isfieder,  "  I  thought  you  would  appreciate  it  after 
you  thought  it  over  for  a  spell." 

"  I  do,  Josiah,"  sez  I,  turnin'  over  the  sock  I  wuz 
a  mendin'  and  attacktin'  a  new  weak  spot  in  the 
heel,  "  I  do  appreciate  it  fully." 

Josiah  looked  real  tickled  and  sort  o'  proud,  and 
I  kep'  on  in  calm  axents  and  a  darnin'  too,  for  the 
hole  wuz  big,  and  night  wuz  a  descendin'  down  onto 
us.  And  I  could  hear  Aunt  Mela's  preparations  for 
supper  down  below,  and  I  wanted  to  get  the  sock 
done  before  I  went  down-stairs.  So  I  sez,  sez  I  : 

"  I  have  thought  about  it  sometimes  too,  Josiah, 
and  I  have  got  it  kinder  fixed  out  in  my  mind  what  I 
would  have  on  your  tombstun — if  I  lived  through  it," 
sez  I  with  a  deep  sithe. 

'  What  wuz  it  ?"  sez  he  in  a  contented  tone, 
for  he  knows  I  love  him.  "It  is  poetry,  hain't 
it?" 

"  Yes,"  sez  I  calmly,  "  I  laid  out  to  end  it  with  a 
verse  of  poetry  ;  it  wuz  to  run  as  follers  :  *  Here  lies 
Josiah  Allen,  husband  of  Samantha  Allen,  and — -'  " 

"  Hold  on  !"  sez  Josiah,  gettin'  right  up  and  look- 
in'  threatenin'.  "  Hold  on  right  there  where  you 
be  ;  no  such  words  as  them  is  a  goin'  on  my  tomb- 


33°  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

stun  while  I  have  a  breath  left  in  my  body.  Hus 
band  of —  Josiah,  husband  of —  I  won't  have  no 
such  truck  as  that,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  I  won't.'* 

"Be  calm,  Josiah,"  sez  I,  "be  calm  and  set 
down,"  for  he  looked  so  bad  and  voyalent  that  I 
feared  apperplexy  or  some  other  fit.  Sez  I,  "Be 
calm,  or  you  will  bring  sunthin'  onto  yourself." 

"  I  won't  be  calm,  and  I  don't  care  what  I  bring 
on,  and  I  tell  you  I  ruther  bring  it  on  than  not,  a 
good  deal  ruther.  The  idee  !  Josiah  Allen,  husband 
of—  It  has  got  to  a  great  pass  if  a  man  has  got 
down  to  that — to  be  a  husband  of — " 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  lookin'  up  into  his  face  stiddily,  as 
he  stood  over  me  in  a  wild  and  threatenin'  attitude 
— and  some  wimmen  would  have  been  skairt  and 
showed  it  out ;  but  I  wuzn't.  Good  land  !  don't  I 
know  Josiah  Allen,  and  through  him  the  hull  race 
of  mankind  ?  I  knew  he  wouldn't  hurt  a  hair  of  my 
foretop,  but  he  would  like  to  skair  me  out  of  the 
idee,  that  I  knew. 

But  sez  I  in  a  reasonable  axent,  "  You  had  got  it 
all  fixed  out  '  Samantha,  wife  of  Josiah— 

"  Wall,  that  is  the  way  !"  sez  he,  hollerin'  enough 
almost  to  crack  my  ear-pan — "  that  is  the  way  every 
man  has  it  on  his  pardner's  headstun.  Go  through 
the  hull  land  and  see  if  it  hain't ;  you  can  look  on 
every  stun." 

Oh,  how  that  "stun"  rolled  through  my  head! 
And  sez  I,  "  I  am  not  deef,  Josiah  Allen,  neither  am 
I  in  Shackville,  or  Loontown,  or  the  barn.  Do  you 
want  to  raise  a  panick  in  your  son's  household  ? 
Moderate  your  voice  or  you  will  harm  your  own 
insides.  I  know  it  is  the  way  every  man  has  wrote 


HE  wuz  A  WALKIN'  UP  AND  DOWN." 


332  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

it  about  their  pardners,  and  it  seemed  so  popular 
amongst  men  I  thought  I  would  try  it." 

'  Wall,  you  won't  try  it  on  me  !"  he  hollered  as 
loud  as  ever.  '  You  won't  try  it  on  me,  and  don't 
you  undertake  it.  Why,  ruther  than  to  h^ve  them 
words  rared  up  over  me  I  would — I  would  ruther 
not  die  at  all.  '  Josiah  Allen,  husband  of — '  No,  mom, 
you  don't  come  no  such  game  over  me  ;  you  don't 
demean  me  down  into  a  '  husband  of — '  !'* 

"  Why,"  sez  I,  lookin'  calmly  into  his  face  (for  I 
see  I  must  be  calm),  "  don't  you  know  how  I  have 
wrote  my  name  for  years  and  years,  *  Josiah  Allen's 
Wife  '  ?" 

"  Wall,  that  wuz  the  way  to  write  it  ;  it  wuz  styl 
ish,"  he  yelled.  Oh,  how  he  yelled!  Why,  that 
"  stylish"  almost  broke  a  hole  through  my  ear-pan  ; 
the  pan  jest  jarred,  it  wuz  so  voyalent. 

Sez  I,  "  Set  down,  Josiah,  and  less  argue  on  it." 

"  I  won't  argue  on  it,  it  is  too  dumb  foolish  ;  I  am 
goin'  out  to  walk  in  the  back  garden  before  supper." 

And  he  ketched  down  his  hat  and  drawed  it  down 
over  his  ears  enough  to  break  'em  off  if  they  hadn't 
been  well  sot  on,  and  slammed  the  door  so  one  of 
them  panels  is  weak  to  this  day — it  wuz  a  little  loose 
to  start  with. 

And  I  went  and  stood  in  the  winder  with  my  hand 
over  my  eyes,  and  watched  him  all  the  while  he 
wuz  a  walkin'  up  and  down  them  walks,  for  I  wuz 
most  afraid  he  would  totter  and  fall  over,  or  mebby 
he  would  start  off  a  bee-line  for  the  crick  and 
drown  himself,  he  wuz  so  rousted  up  and  agitated. 
And  I  hain't  dasted  to  open  my  head  sence  on 
the  subject—I  don't  dast  to,  not  knowin'  what  it 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM*.  333 

would  bring  onto  him.  At  the  table  they  noticed 
my  pardner's  excited  and  riz  up  mean — they  couldn't 
help  it. 

And  Maggie  asked  him  "  if  he  wuzn't  feelin'  well." 

And  I  spoke  right  up,  such  is  a  female's  devoted 
love  for  her  companion— I  spoke  right  up  and  sez  : 

'  We  have  been  a  talkin'  over  funerals  and  such, 
and  your  Pa  got  agitated." 

I  spoze  I  told  the  truth— I  spoze  I  did  ;  I  didn't 
tell  what  the  "  such"  wuz  that  he  had  been  a  talkin' 
about ;  I  don't  know  as  I  wuz  obleeged  to. 


THIS   DARK    EARTH    VALLEY." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


T  wuz  dretful  sudden,  as  we  count  sudden 
ness.  But  then  we  don't  know  down  here 
in  this  dark  Earth  Valley,  with  high  moun 
tains  a  towerin'  up  on  each  side  on  us  that 
we  can't  see  through— we  can't  really  tell 
what  to  call  the  onexpected,  or  the  expected. 

I  spoze  if  we  wuz  high  enough  up  to  see  the  light 
and  beauty  of  the  Divine  Plan,  we  shouldn't  call  any 
thing  the  onexpected. 

But  it  seemed  dretful  sudden  to  us  that  Miss  Sey- 
bert  should  be  took  down  voyalent  with  a  fever  that 
wuz  a  prevailin'  round  Eden  Centre,  and  should  die 
off  the  second  day  after  the  attack. 

And  for  all  the  world  it  would  seem  as  if  havin' 
waited  on  her  through  all  time,  and  she  laid  out  to 
go  on  a  doin'  it  through  all  eternity,  old  Phyllis, 
Victor's  mother,  jest  follered  right  on  after  her  the 
next  day* 

Some  say  she  took  the  disease  a  hangin'  over  her 
bed  and  a  waitin'  on  her, 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  335 

But  anyway,  she  passed  away  the  very  next  day, 
and  wuz  buried  right  at  the  feet  of  her  beloved 
"  Miss  Alice." 

Col.  Seybert  wuz  away  on  one  of  his  annual  wild 
cat  excursions,  so  her  wishes  wuz  carried  out.  And 
she  had  her  old  friend  nigh  her  through  the  long 
sleep,  jest  as  she  always  had  had  her  durin'  her  fitful 
sleep  for  years.  But  they  both  slept  well  now,  and 
wuzn't  no  more  to  be  disturbed  by  drunken  abuse 
nor  mournful  forebodings.  No,  they  slept  sound 
and  sweet. 

Victor  mourned  deep,  deep  for  'em  both— it  would 
be  hard  to  tell  which  he  mourned  for  most. 

But  after  the  first  shock  of  his  heart-felt  grief  had 
passed  away,  he  felt  that  the  last  ties  had  been  broke 
now  that  bound  him  to  this  land. 

He  felt  that  God  had  showed  him  more  plain  by 
this  dispensation  what  He  wanted  him  to  do. 

And  as  everything  wuz  ripe  for  the  exodus,  and 
he  felt  that  he  could  not  remain  an  hour  under  Col. 
Seybert's  roof,  now  that  the  necessity  for  his  remain- 
in'  had  been  removed,  everything  pointed  to  an  imme 
diate  departure  for  Africa. 

The  party  who  wuz  to  go  with  him  wuz  all  ready, 
eager,  resolute,  prepared,  only  waitin'  for  the  word 
of  their  leader. 

And  he  wuz  ready  to  go.  But  first  he  must  be 
married  to  the  light  of  his  eyes,  the  desire  of  his 
heart.  And  under  the  circumstances  of  the  case 
we  could  not  counsel  any  great  delay. 

And  though,  as  I  said,  Victor  wuz  a  mourner,  and 
a  deep  mourner  for  his  mother  and  sister  mistress, 
still  it  wuz  mebby  partly  for  that  reason  that  he  wuz 


336  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

so  happy  in  the  thought  of  havin'  a  sweet  wife  and  a 
sweet  home  of  his  own. 

And  it  wuz  a  pretty  sight  to  witness  the  love  of 
Victor  and  Genieve.  And  though  we  all  haied  to 
lose  her,  we  wuz  happy  in  the  thought  of  her  happi 
ness  and  her  approachin'  marriage. 

As  for  me,  though  mebby  I  didn't  say  so  much,  I 
did  the  more.  I  wuz  a  knittin'  some  of  the  very  finest 
linen  edgin'  out  of  number  ninety  thread  to  trim  a 
hull  suit  of  underclothes  for  her.  And  if  any  one 
would  examine  close  the  fineness  of  the  thread,  they 
could  see  the  delicacy  and  tenderness  of  my  feelin's 
for  her,  and  the  strength. 

1  had  bought  some  of  the  very  finest  muslin  I 
could  get  to  make  the  garments  of.  So,  as  I  say,  if 
I  didn't  say  so  much,  mebby  I  did  the  more,  and 
acted. 

Maggie  and  Thomas  J.  wuz  goin'  to  get  her  a 
bedroom  set  in  pretty  light  wood,  and  Maggie  wuz 
embroiderin'  some  beautiful  covers  for  the  bureau, 
and  washstand,  and  table. 

It  wttz  a  pattern  of  pink  and  pale  blue  mornin' 
glories  on  a  sort  of  a  cream -colored  ground. 

They  wuz  goin'  to  be  lovely. 

Little  Snow  wanted  to  do  sunthin',  and  I  told  her 
she  should. 

So  I,  myself,  cut  her  out  some  little  linen  napkins, 
and  let  her  fringe  out  the  edges,  and  I  laid  out  to 
orniment  'em  myself  for  her  in  cat  stitch.  Cat  is  a 
very  handsome  stitch. 

And  as  I  sez,  we  wuz  all  happy  in  witnessin* 
Genieve's  happiness,  which  wuz  glowin'  and  radiant, 
and  Victor's  calm,  deep  bliss.  For  he  could  not  undo 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  337 

the  past.  And  the  Bible  sez  a  man  shall  leave  all  and 
cleave  to  his  wife.  And  he  wuz  only  a  followin'  the 
Skripter. 

He  had  been  a  good  son,  no  better  could  be  found 
— a  good,  faithful  helper  and  friend  to  his  mistress  ; 
and  I  felt  that  he  could  leave  'em  in  their  peaceful 
graves  and  walk  off  into  the  Eden  road  of  his  happy 
love  with  no  reflections,  and  with  the  desire  of  his 
heart. 

Col.  Seybert  wuz  ragin',  as  we  knew,  at  the 
thought  that  his  trusty  servant  wuz  goin'  to  leave 
him.  He  wuz  invaluable  to  him  in  so  many  ways. 
He  had  no  other  man  in  his  employ  so  trustworthy  ; 
no  one  else  who  would  take  care  of  his  business 
durin'  the  frequent  intervals  when  he  wuz  incapable 
of  it ;  no  one  else  who  wuz  so  honest,  so  reliable,  so 
intelligent ;  for  Victor  wuz  one  who  would  do  his 
duty,  and  do  a  good  day's  work,  if  he  wuz  workin' 
for  Nero  or  the  Old  Harry  himself,  though  you 
wouldn't  ketch  him  a  workin'  for  this  last-named 
personage — no,  indeed. 

Col.  Seybert  raged  over  the  idee  of  Victor's  leav- 
in'  him  ;  he  had  always  ruled  everything  about  hirn^ 
bent  everything  to  his  wishes. 

And  now  "  this  black  dog,"  as  he  named  Victor 
in  his  scornful  wrath,  had  dared  to  defy  him.  And 
worse  still,  the  very  best  and  most  intelligent  of  his 
hands,  nearly  all  the  younger  ones,  had  been  influ 
enced  by  Victor's  purpose  and  teachin's,  and  wuz 
makin'  preparations  to  leave  this  sin-cursed  South, 
that  had  held  only  misery  and  humiliation  for  them, 
and  join  him  in  his  colony  in  Africa. 

Col.  Seybert  knew,  through  his  spy  Burley,  that 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 


they  wuz  secretly  and  quietly  makin'  preparations 
to  leave  him  and  go  to  the  New  Republic— some  of 
them  to  go  with  Victor  and  his  party,  some  of  them 
to  go  with  the  next  party  fitted  out. 


HIRAM  WIGGINS' s  TWO  DAUGHTERS. 

Deep  in  his  heart  and  loudly  to  his  chosen  friends 
did  Col.  Seybert  curse  Victor — his  long-sufferin' 
brother,  as  I  would  and  did  call  him  in  my  mind — I 
would. 

Why,  good  land  !  if  Victor  had  been  translated 
to  the  court  of  some  mighty  kingdom  and  been  pro 
claimed  king,  wouldn't  Col.  Seybert  have  claimed 
relationship  with  him  pretty  quick  ? 

Yes,  cupidity  and  ambition  would  have  propped 
him  up  on  both  sides,  and  he  would  have  proclaimed 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  339 

the  fact  through  his  brother's  kingdom  that  he  wuz 
brother  to  the  king. 

Wall,  if  he  wuz  his  brother  under  one  set  of  cir 
cumstances,  I  say  he  wuz  under  any  other. 

He  wuz  his  half-brother  ;  if  every  other  evidence 
had  failed  to  assure  the  relationship,  the  portrait  of 
old  Gen.  Seybert  down  in  the  long  drawin'  room 
of  Seybert  Court  would  have  proclaimed  the  fact  to 
a  gainsaying  world.  He  wuz  a  fur  truer  son  to  Gen. 
Seybert  than  Reginald  wuz.  For  by  all  the  ties  of 
congenial  tastes,  mind,  and  spirit,  he  wuz  the  court 
ly  old  Southerner's  true  son  and  heir. 

Reginald  had  always  been  and  always  would  be 
true  son  and  heir  of  Hiram  Wiggins,  the  manufac- 
turin'  tailor.  Although  as  relationships  go  in  this 
world,  he  wuz  only  his  grandnephew. 

But  he  had  laid  claim,  and  wuz  the  only  possessor 
of  all  his  crafty,  cruel,  brutal,  aggressive  nature,  his 
low  habits  and  tastes,  his  insolent,  half  bold,  half 
meachin'  manners. 

Hiram  Wiggins'es  own  children  wuz  two  old 
maid  daughters,  so  meek  they  could  hardly  say  their 
souls  wuz  their  own. 

They  worked  samplers,  copied  from  their  moth 
ers,  and  regulated  their  behavior  on  this  model, 
which  wuz  a  eminently  Christian  one,  and  did  much 
good  in  a  modest,  unassumin'  way  with  the  wealth 
their  father  had  heaped  up.  They  wuz  the  children 
of  their  mother,  and  their  cousin  Reginald,  true  son 
of  their  father. 

But  I  am  a  eppisodin',  and  to  resoom. 

Col.  Seybert,  like  all  men  of  his  class,  had  some 
choice  spirits  that  copied  his  manners  and  carried 


34°  SA MANTUA    ON   THE  RACE  PKOHLEM. 

out  his  plans.  And  among  them  all  who  toadied  to 
him  and  carried  out  his  base  plans,  the  foremost  one 
wuz  Nick  Burley,  as  we  have  said  prior  and  before 
this. 

He  hated  Victor  as  much  as  Col.  Seybert  did. 
One  of  the  causes  of  Burley's  dislike  was  what  feeds 
enmity  so  often  in  base  natures — Victor  wuz  so 
superior  to  him  that  Burley  wuz  always  oncomfort- 
able  in  his  presence. 

To  be  with  a  young  man  who  neither  drank, 
swore,  nor  tore  the  characters  of  women  to  tatters, 
and  boasted  of  great  deeds  in  love  and  valor,  wuz  to 
Burley  incomprehensible.  What  wuz  mysterious 
must  be  wrong. 

And  then  Victor  evidently  shunned  the  society  of 
Burley,  and  avoided  him  whenever  he  could.  And 
as  Burley  wuz  a  white  man  and  Victor  "  a  damned 
nigger,"  such  a  state  of  things  wuz  not  to  be  borne. 

Col.  Seybert  had,  we  may  be  sure,  fanned  the 
coals  of  hatred  to  a  still  greater  heat,  till  at  last  they 
wuz  at  a  white  glow,  and  Nick  Burley  wuz  ready 
to  do  any  act  that  Col.  Seybert  recommended,  any. 
thing  for  vengeance  and  "  to  show  that  cussed  black 
dog  not  to  feel  above  a  gentleman  and  a  white 
man." 

And  Col.  Seybert  and  Burley  had  subtly  played 
upon  the  ignorance  and  superstition  of  the  lower 
black  element  about  them,  so  they  had  come  to  look 
upon  Victor  as  their  enemy  and  the  enemy  of  his 
people. 

He  who  had  all  his  life  long  sought  only  the  good 
of  his  race,  planned  through  long,  wakeful  nights 
for  their  advancement,  and  had  labored  early  and 


SAM  ANT ff A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  341 

late  for  an  education,  mainly  for  the  reason  that,  he 
could  help  them  better — so  ignorant  wuz  they  that 
they  could  see  nothin'  of  this,  and  looked  at  him 
through  the  hate-prejudiced  eyes  of  his  enemies. 

His  preachin'  to  his  people  to  be  patient  under 
their  wrongs  and  to  return  good  for  evil  ;  his  warn 
ings  to  them  aginst  their  habits  of  lawlessness,  and 
laziness,  and  theft  ;  his  pleadings  with  them  to  turn 
in  their  evil  ways  and  try  to  become  decent  citi 
zens  ;  his  admonitions  that  their  future  lay  in  their 
own  hands,  and  they  could  become,  by  the  grace  of 
God  and  by  hard  work  and  education,  whatever 
they  chose  to  be,  had  been  mistaken  by  these  more 
ignorant  ones.  And  subtly  wrought  upon  by  Col. 
Seybert  and  Burley,  they  looked  upon  Victor  as  one 
who,  while  he  taught  them  lessons  of  patience,  and 
meekness,  and  unselfishness,  wuz  himself  carryin'  on 
a  secret  plan  for  their  humiliation  and  his  own  per 
sonal  wealth  and  ambition.  ^ 

Victor  knew  something  of  this  secret  antagonism 
towards  him  from  the  lower  black  element  and  his 
revengeful  white  enemies,  but  he  hardly  knew  how 
strong  it  wuz. 

And  so  the  mills  of  the  gods  Wuz  turnin'  slowly 
but  surely,  and  slavery,  and  oppression,  and  class 
hatred,  and  personal  spite,  and  bitterness,  and 
social  contempt,  and  ignorance  wuz  gettin'  ready  to 
be  ground  out  into  the  food  whereby  Vengeance 
and  Horror  should  be  sated. 

Very  quickly  but  very  surely  wuz  the  prepara 
tions  goin'  on  for  Victor's  departure  for  the  colony. 

Nearly  all  of  them  who  wuz  goin'  with  him  had 
been  able  to  get  a  little  money  ahead. 


342  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

On  an  average,  they  had  about  five  hundred  dol 
lars  each. 

Some  had  more  than  this,  and  wuz  takin'  out 
wife,  or  children,  or  parents,  who  had  less  ;  so  that 
the  actual  amount  each  member  of  the  colony  would 
have  would  be  about  five  hundred  dollars. 

Victor  had  planned  that,  with  careful  and  prudent 
management  in  that  warm  climate,  where  no  extra 
amount  wuz  needed  for  fuel  or  heavy  clothin',  where 
food  of  a  certain  kind  could  be  obtained  almost  by 
pickin*  it  off  the  trees  about  them,  where  a  very  sim 
ple  and  cheap  cabin  would  be  all  the  shelter  and 
protection  they  might  need — 

He  thought  that  this  money,  in  the  hands  of  intel 
ligent  and  prudent  managers,  would  keep  the 
colony  fed  and  clothed,  buy  necessary  tools  and 
stock,  and  keep  them  in  comfort  till  they  could 
raise  crops  in  their  own  home. 

Father  Gasperin,  the  good  missionary  who  had 
labored  all  his  life  amongst  the  black  people,  wuz 
goin'  with  them,  and  he,  havin*  the  love  and  confi 
dence  of  them  all,  Victor  had  made  chief  adviser  and 
treasurer  of  the  company. 

Father  Gasperin  had  a  good  deal  of  influence  with 
them  high  in  authority  (he  had  renounced  a  high 
name  and  estate  to  dwell  amongst  and  labor  for  the 
poor  and  lowly).  He  had  made  all  the  necessary 
arrangements  with  parties  in  Africa,  and  the  site  of 
the  location  wuz  already  chosen. 

When  Cousin  John  Henry  decided  to  cast  in  his 
lot  with  the  colonists,  Victor  wuz  overjoyed,  for  he 
felt  that  the  good  he  would  accomplish  could  hardly 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


343 


be  estimated  in  teachin',  and  preachin',  and  helpin' 
the  colony  in  every  way. 

Their  future  home  wuz  a  beautiful  valley  lyin' 
between  two  low,  heavily  wooded  mountain  ranges, 
and  a  clear  river  runnin'  through  it  to  the  sea. 

A  sheltered,  lovely  spot,  but  with  pure  air  flowin' 
in  from  the  east  and  the  west  along  the  course  of 
the  sparklin'  river. 

This  river  they  looked  to  as  bein'  for  the  present 


A  CLEAR    RIVER   RUNNING  THROUGH.1' 


their  highway  out  to  the  nearest  town,  some  twenty 
miles  away. 

And  already  in  his  mind  Victor  saw  the  white 
sails  of  their  boats  bearin'  away  the  fruit  of  their 
hands  to  be  exchanged  for  articles  of  necessity  and 
comfort. 

He  could  see  the  little  wharf  where  these  boats 
should  come  back  laden  with  comforts  for  his  peo 
ple  and  news  from  the  great  world. 

He  imagined  Genieve  and  himself  standin'  at  the 
door  of  their  tiny  cottage,  in  the  golden  sunset  or 


344  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE  PFOBLEM. 

the  golden  dawn,  lookin'  down  this  sparklin'  high 
way  fringed  with  glistenin'  palm-trees. 

He  could  almost  hear  the  song  of  the  gayly  hued 
birds  as  they  called  out  to  their  mates  in  the  glossy 
foliage  overhead. 

Here  wuz  home,  here  wuz  peace,  here  wuz  inde 
pendence  for  a  long-enslaved  and  tortured  people. 

Hard  work  he  knew  there  must  be,  and  perhaps 
hard  fare  for  a  time  ;  but  the  reward  would  be  so 
sweet  that  it  would  sweeten  toil.  It  would  not  be 
like  the  hopeless,  onthanked-for,  onrewarded  drudg 
ery  for  them  who  returned  insults  and  curses  for 
patient  labor,  and  too  often  blows  and  stingin'  lashes. 

Felix  and  Hester  wuz  makin'  all  preparations  to 
go  with  Victor.  On  him  Victor  counted  as  one  who 
could  be  relied  upon  to  help  the  weaker  ones,  to  be 
a  guide  and  an  example  of  what  the  black  man 
could  do  and  be. 

For  Felix,  so  far  as  he  knew,  had  not  a  drop  of 
white  blood  in  his  veins,  and  he  wuz  faithful,  hon 
est,  hard-workin'  and  intelligent. 

Three  times  he  had  had  his  home  broken  up  and 
his  earnings  stolen  from  him  by  this  cursed,  unslain 
spirit  of  slavery. 

But  he  had  agin,   by  his  industry  and  frugality 
and  by  Hester's  help,   earned  and  laid  by  the  sum 
Victor  thought  necessary  for  each  colonist  to  pos 
sess,  and  he  and  Hester  wuz  ready  to  make  another 
start  in  the  New  Republic. 

He  had  decided  not  to  build  another  home  in  the 
soil  guarded  by  the  American  eagle. 

He  knew  the  fowl  to  be  largely  boasted  about  as 
bein'  the  first  and  noblest  bird  beneath  the  skies. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  345 

But  he  felt  that  he  had  been  pecked  by  its  too  sharp 
bill,  he  had  been  clawed  by  its  talons,  he  had  beer 
wearied  by  its  loud,  boastin',  resonant  voice. 

No,  he  would  make  no  more  homes  under  the 
skies  where  that  eagle  built  its  nest, 

He  wuz  ready  for  a  newer  republic. 

He  felt  that  he  would  ruther  dare  the  soft  em 
braces  of  the  biggest  African  serpents  than  be  en 
folded  about  by  our  beneficent  civilization. 

He  wuz  embittered,  that  wuz  a  fact.  But  when 
we  see  what  he  had  gone  through,  I  don't  know  as 
anybody  could  blame  him. 

But  anyway,  he  wuz  ready  to  go. 

And  so  the  days  rolled  by  one  after  another,  as 
they  always  will,  whether  you  are  gay  or  sorrowful, 
whether  the  hours  seem  weighted  down  with  lead 
or  tipped  with  fleet  sunbeams. 

And  to  Genieve  and  Victor  all  sadness  and  shad 
ows  lay  fur  away  like  a  faint  cloud  in  the  horizon, 
almost  unseen  and  forgotten  in  the  clear  sunshine 
of  their  happiness.  For  true  love  will  make  happi 
ness  everywhere.  Everything  looked  prosperous, 
and  I  had  got  my  edgin'  done,  and  Maggie  and  I 
had  made  the  nice  linen  garments  and  ornimented 
'em  with  the  lace. 

They  looked  beautiful. 

Little  Snow's  work  on  the  napkins  wuz  done,  and 
the  cat  stitch  almost  completed— a  few  stitches  only 
of  the  cat  remained  to  do,  then  they  would  be 
done. 

Maggie  had  completed  her  pretty  embroidered 
covers,  and  they  lay  folded  up  on  top  of  a  pretty 
sashay -bag  of  sweet  perfumery  in  the  bureau-draws  oi 


346  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

the  handsome  chamber  set,  and  that  wuz  all  packed 
away  in  a  strong  box  ready  for  the  voyage. 

The  weddin'  dress  had  come  home  all  fini  hed, 
even  to  the  pretty  lace  in  the  neck  and  sleeves. 

It  wuz  white  mull,  and  I  knew  Genieve  would 
look  like  a  picture  in  it. 


"EVERYTHING  wuz  READY.' 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

T  last  the  time  come,  as  every  time 
will  come  if  you  wait  long  enough 
for  it— the  time  had  come  when 
the  colony  wuz  to  embark  for  their 
new  home. 

Victor  and  Genieve  wuz  to  be 
married  the  mornin'  they  started,  Cousin  John  Rich 
ard  a  performin'  the  ceremony  in  the  parlor  at  Belle 
Fanchon,  and  Father  Gasperin  a  layin'  out  to  make 
a  good  prayer  on  the  occasion. 

And  the  evenin'  before  everything  wuz  ready. 
In  Genieve's  room,  acrost  the  white  bed  lay  the 
simple  grey  travellin'  dress  and  wrap  she  wuz  a  goin' 
to  wear  on  her  journey,  with  a  little  grey  velvet  tur 
ban  by  the  side  of  it,  and  the  heavy  travellin'  cloak 
she  would  most  probable  need  on  her  long  sea  voy 
age. 

The  little  grey  gloves  and  the  handkerchief  and 


348  SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

the  well-filled  travellin'  bag  lay  all  ready  to  take  up 
at  a  minute's  notice,  for  we  knew  there  wouldn't  be 
any  too  much  time  in  the  mornin'. 

The  pretty  plain  white  dress  she  wuz  a  goin'  to 
wear  to  enter  her  new  life  in,  and  which  would  be  a 
good  dress  for  years,  and  handy  where  she  wuz  a 
goin',  lay  acrost  two  chairs,  ready  for  her  to  put  on 
the  first  thing  in  the  mornin'.  , 

Yes,  everything  wuz  ready  in  Genieve's  room. 
And  in  the  kitchen,  though  I  am  fur,  fur  from  bein' 
the  one  to  speak  on't  (as  I  had  done  the  most  of  the 
cooking,  wuz  as  good  vittles  as  I  ever  see  in  my 
hull  life. 

Aunt  Mela  done  well  and  done  considerable  ;  but 
1  wanted  V  ictor  and  Genieve  and  Cousin  John  Rich 
ard  to  have  some  of  my  own  particular  Jonesville 
cookin',  and  everything  had  turned  out  jest  right. 

Every  cake  had  riz  up  in  good  form,  ready  for  the 
icing  ;  not  one  lop-sided  or  heavy  cake  wuz  there  in 
the  hull  collection. 

And  the  roast  fowls  wuz  jest  the  right  brown,  not 
a  speck  of  scorch  on  one  of  'em. 

The  jellys  wuz  firm  and  clear  as  so  many  moulds 
of  rose  and  amber  ice.  And  the  posys  had  all  been 
picked,  and  Maggie  had  arranged  'em  in  great  crys 
tal  bowls  and  vases  of  sweetness  and  beauty. 

The  table  wuz  all  sot.  We  thought  we  would 
arrange  it  the  night  before,  when  we  had  plenty  of 
time,  so  it  would  suit  us. 

And  we  had  got  everything  ready,  and  though  I 
dare  presume  to  say  I  ortn't  to  say  it,  it  looked 
good  enough  to  eat,  vittles,  table-cloth,  posys,  and 
all. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  349 

(Though  it  is  fur  from  me  to  propose  eatin*  stun 
china  and  table-cloths  ;  but  I  use  this  simely  to  let 
you  know  the  exceedin'  loveliness  of  the  spectacle.) 

Genieve  went  in  to  see  it  after  it  wuz  all  ready. 
We  wouldn't  let  her  do  much,  knowin'  what  a  jour 
ney  wuz  ahead  on  her. 

But  when  she  went  in  to  look  at  it  she  looked  a* 
if  she  wuz  in  a  dream,  a  happy  dream.  And  she 
wuz  pleased  with  every  single  thing  we  had  done 
for  her.  Snow,  the  dear  little  lamb,  follered  Geriieve 
round  tight  to  her  all  the  time  ;  she  knew  she  wuz  a 
goin'  away  from  us,  and  she  couldn't  bear  the 
thought ;  but  we  had  tried  to  reason  with  her  and 
tell  her  how  happy  Genieve  wuz  a  goin'  to  be,  and 
she,  havin'  such  a  deep  mind,  seemed  to  be  middlin' 
reconciled. 

Boy  wuz  of  course  too  small  to  realize  anything. 
And  it  wuz  on  Genieve's  heart  that  the  tug  of  part- 
in'  with  him  come  hardest.  She  wanted  him  in  her 
arms  all  the  time,  a  most.  And  as  happy  as  she 
wuz,  I  see  more  than  one  tear  drop  down  oh  his 
little  short  brown  curls  and  dimpled  cheeks  and  ou 
Snow's  golden  locks. 

But  I  looked  forward  to  the  time  when  Genieve, 
sweet,  tender  heart,  would  hold  a  child  of  her  own 
in  her  arms,  and  give  it  some  of  the  love  she  lav 
ished  on  everything  round  her. 

Wall,  as  evenin'  drew  on  and  the  mockin'  birds 
begun  singin'  to  their  mates  down  under  the  mag 
nolias,  we  see  Victor's  tall  figure  a  comin'  along  the 
well-known  path,  and  Genieve  went  out  to  meet  him 
for  the  last  time  as  a  maiden. 

The  next  time  she  went  out  to  meet  him  it  would 


35°  SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

be  as  his  wife.  And  I  spoze  they  both  thought  of 
that  with  a  sort  of  a  sad  rapture,  for  they  both  loved 
Belle  Fanchon  and  the  folks  that  lived  there. 

And  they  knew  it  would  be  on  the  soil  of  a  strange 
land  when  she  next  sot  out  to  meet  him  in  the  starry 
dusk  of  the  evenin'  shadows. 

And  the  birds  that  would  be  a  singin'  over  their 
heads  would  not  be  the  mockin'  birds  of  old  Georgia. 
And  different  stars  would  be  a  shinin'  down  on 
'em,  and  it  would  be  in  a  new  world. 

I  spoze  they  thought  of  all  this,  I  spoze  so,  as 
they  slowly  wended  their  way  up  to  the  house  in 
the  soft  glow  of  the  semi-twilight  amidst  the  odor 
and  bloom  of  the  blossomin'  flowers,  and  the  melan 
choly,  sweet  notes  of  the  mockin'  birds. 

They  come  into  the  settin'  room,  and  Victor  sot 
down  as  usual  and  took  Boy  up  in  his  arms — he 
loved  the  child. 

Genieve  went  up  into  her  room  to  tend  to  some 
last  thing  she  wanted  done,,  and  we  sot  there  in  the 
settin'  room,  and  visited  for  a  spell  back  and  forth. 

Josiah  and  Cousin  John  Richard  had  walked  down 
to  the  village,  and  Thomas  Jefferson  hadn't  come 
home  yet. 

Genieve  found  a  letter  from  Hester  a  layin'  on 
her  table,  and  she  opened  it  and  read  it  in  the  last 
faint  rosy  glow  of  the  daylight.  Hester  and  Felix 
wuz  to  meet  them  where  they  embarked.  Hester's 
letter  wuz  full  of  joyful  anticipation  about  the  new 
home  to  which  she  wuz  a  goin'.  Poor  thing  !  bein' 
so  tosted  about  and  misused  as  she  had  been,  it  is 
no  wonder. 

She  and  Felix  wuz  lookin'  forward  with  such  de- 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  35* 

light  and  happiness  towards  the  new  home  that  their 
fervor  thrilled  Genieve's  heart  anew,  and  she  sot 
there  after  she  had  read  the  letter  and  looked  off 
into  the  rosy  light  of  the  sunset,  and  she  dreamed  a 
dream. 

It  wuz  a  still  twilight.  The  flowers  about  her 
window  stood  sweet  and  motionless  against  the 
glowin'  light. 

The  last  golden  rays  come  through  the  vine- 
wreathed  casement  and  fell  on  the  letter  lyin'  open 
in  her  lap,  and  as  she  sot  there  with  her  beautiful 
head  leanin'  back  against  the  old  carved  chair-back, 
the  shinin'  rays  seemed  to  move  and  get  mixed  with 
the  shadows  of  the  vine  leaves. 

They  moved,  they  shone,  they  took  form,  and  as 
she  sot  there  Genieve  saw — whether  in  the  body  or 
out  of  the  body  I  cannot  tell,  God  knoweth — but  she 
saw  her  future  home  in  the  New  Republic. 

She  saw  a  fair  land  lyin'  under  a  clearer,  softer 
sky,  but  it  bent  down  on  strange  foliage — giant 
palm-trees  cleaved  the  blue  sky,  and  birds,  like  great 
crimson  and  golden  blossoms,  were  flyin'  back  and 
forth  in  and  out  of  the  green,  shinin'  branches. 

Crystal  rivers  wuz  flowin'  through  that  land, 
whose  clear  waves  wuz  dotted  with  the  sails  of  a 
busy  commerce. 

She  looked  on  these  heavily  freighted  ships  and 
see  that  the  commanders  and  officers,  as  well  as 
crews,  wuz  her  own  dark-skinned  race. 

By  the  side  of  these  blue  crystal  highways  for  the 
Republic's  wealth  wuz  flourishin*  towns  in  which 
stood  great  manufactories  and  workshops  for  all 
useful  and  valuable  purposes.  She  looked  into  these 


352  SAMANTIIA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

busy  places,  and  she  saw  at  the  loom,  and  the  forge, 
and  the  work-bench  her  own  people,  and  also  in  the 
countin'  rooms,  and  offices,  and  the  superintendent's 
rooms — all  wore  the  dark  livery  of  the  sun.  And 
she  saw  that  none  wuz  very  rich  and  none  wuz 
poor,  for  the  work  wuz  co-operative,  and  all  wuz 
paid  livin'  wages,  and  all  owned  a  share,  even  if  a 
small  one,  in  these  large  undertakings  ;  and  she  saw 
that  none  of  the  toilers  looked  haggard  and  over 
worked,  for  their  hours  of  labor  wuz  short  enough 
to  give  them  all  a  chance  for  bodily  rest  and  recrea 
tion. 

She  looked  into  the  pulpits  of  the  beautiful 
churches  whose  spires  rose  from  the  glitterin' 
foliage,  and  wuz  scattered  over  this  new  land. 

Colored  men  and  colored  wimmen  stood  in  the 
pulpits  and  sot  in  the  pews. 

Large,  noble  universities  and  a  multitude  of  pub 
lic  schools  dotted  the  land  of  this  New  Republic  ; 
colored  men  and  colored  wimmen  wuz  presidents, 
professors,  teachers.  The  old  lessons  learned  by 
their  ancestors  with  many  a  heartache  in  the  Old 
World  wuz  bearin'  its  rich  fruit  in  the  new. 

She  saw  great  museums,  lecture  rooms,  art  gal 
leries,  all  filled  with  the  glowin'  imagery  of  the  race 
that  tried  to  orniment  and  wreathe  the  chains  of 
servitude  with  some  pitiful  blossoms  of  crude 
beauty  ;  she  beheld  these  gorgeous  fancies  trained 
into  magnificent  results.  The  walls  wuz  glowin' 
with  beauty  and  bold  magnificence  that  the  tamer, 
colder-blooded  races  never  dreamed  of. 

She  entered  the  halls  of  song,  free  for  all,  rich  or 
poor,  and  heard  melodious  sounds  such  as  she  had 


**IN   THE   CHAIR    OF   THE   RULER." 


354  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

never  dreamed  of  hearin'  this  side  of  heaven.  And 
the  musicians  wuz  all  of  her  own  music-lovin'  race, 
and  the  melody  almost  seemed  to  have  the  secret  of 
Paradise  in  it,  so  heavenly  sweet  it  wuz. 

All  through  this  favored  land  out  in  the  rich  coun 
try  wuz  immense  co-operative  farms  stocked  with 
sleek  herds,  and  worked  with  new  and  wonderful 
machinery  invented  by  her  own  people. 

And  in  the  Capitol,  in  the  chair  of  the  ruler,  sot  one 
of  her  own  race,  wise  and  beneficent.  And  all  the 
offices  and  chairs  of  State  wuz  filled  by  the  colored 
people. 

Over  all  the  land  wuz  prosperity,  over  all  the  land 
wuz  peace,  for  there  wuz  no  conm'ctin'  elements  of 
diverse  and  alien  races  and  interests  mixed  up  in  it ; 
and  purified  by  past  sufferings,  grown  wise  by  the 
direct  teachings  of  God,  the  rulers  ruled  wisely,  the 
people  listened  gladly,  and  the  teachings  of  the 
Christ  who  more  than  two  thousand  years  before 
come  upon  earth  wuz  fulfilled  to  His  chosen  people, 
whom  He  had  brought  up  out  of  the  depths  to  show 
His  glory  to  the  heathens. 

She  saw — for  her  vision  wuz  ontrammelled  by 
time  or  space — she  saw  the  wise  and  kind  influences 
of  the  Republic  stretching  out  like  the  rays  from  a 
star  into  the  darkest  corners  and  deepest  jungles  of 
this  great  Eastern  Hemisphere— she  saw  the  light 
slowly  dawning  in  these  depths. 

She  saw  missionaries  ever  goin'  into  these  places 
from  this  New  Republic  with  the  Bible  in  their  hands 
and  its  sweet  wisdom  in  their  lives,  and  then  ever 
goin'  back  with  some  new  recruits  gathered  from 
the  lowest  places,  to  be  in  time  educated  in  all  good 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  355 

things,  and  then   sent  back  as  missionaries  to  their 
own  tribes. 

And  the  sunlight  lay  lovingly  on  this  land  like  the 
love  of  God  long  hidden  under  the  cloud  of  His 
judgments,  but  now  seeming  the  sweeter  from  what 
had  gone  before. 

And  from  all  these  cozy  homes  in  city  and  in  coun 
try  she  heard  the  steady  tread,  tread  of  the  children 
walkin'  along  to  the  music  of  the  future,  the  future 
of  accomplishment,  of  education,  of  promise.  She 
saw  them  forever  learnin'  new  things,  the  newer 
things  that  wuz  forever  displacin'  the  old — newer, 
grander,  broader  views  and  aims.  For  heaven  and 
earth  wuz  drawin'  nearer  to  each  other,  and  the  era 
of  peace  on  earth,  good- will  to  man  had  come. 

Long  did  Genieve  set  there  wrapped  in  the  glory 
of  what  she  saw— whether  in  the  body  or  out  of  the 
body  I  do  not  know.  God  knoweth. 

At  last  the  voice  of  little  Snow  aroused  her,  and 
she  took  her  up  in  her  arms. 

But  the  light  remained  in  her  face. 

Little  Snow  come  into  our  room  in  a  few  minutes, 
and  she  sez,  "  Genny  took  me  up  in  her  lap,  and  her 
face  shined." 

And  I  sez,  "  Like  enough,  darlin'.  She  is  one  of 
the  Lord's  anointed,  anyway." 

And  Josiah  sez — he  had  come  back,  and  wuz  a  lay- 
in'  on  the  lounge — "  Probable  the  sun  wuz  a  shinin' 
into  her  face." 

And  Snow  sez,  "  The  sun  had  gone  down  ;  it 
wasn't  shinin'  into  her  room." 

'  Wall,"  sez  Josiah,  "  it  wuz  most  probable  the 
lamp." 


356  SAMANTHA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

"  She  hadn't  lighted  one,"  sez  Snow. 

"  Wall,  it  wuz  most  probable  sunthin', ''  sez 
Josiah. 

And  I  sez,  "  I  presume  so." 

And  I  felt  that  it  wuz. 

Wall,  while  this  happy  glow  wuz  still  a  shinin'  in 
Genieve's  eyes,  Victor  wuz  a  settin'  down  below. 
Genieve  had  gone  across  the  garden  to  bid  baby 
Tommy  good-bye. 

When  I  went  down  agin  Victor  wuz  a  settin'  by 
the  open  window  of  the  settin'  room. 

It  wuz  a  lovely  night,  as  I  could  see  plain,  for  the 
big  windows  wuz  wide  open  and  the  moon  shone 
bright  in  the  east,  while  yet  the  rosy  glow  had  not 
faded  out  of  the  western  sky. 

I  sot  down  with  my  knittin'  work,  and  as  I  sot 
there  a  peacefully  seamin'  three  and  one  on  Josiah's 
sock,  I  see  a  little  white  bird  come  a  flyin'  along 
from  towards  the  clump  of  roses  and  magnolias  that 
riz  up  over  little  Belle  Fanchon's  grave. 

It  flew  along  most  to  the  window,  and  settled 
down  on  a  wavin'  rose  branch,  and  there  it  swung 
back  and  forth  and  sung  a  sweet  sort  of  a  invitin' 
song.  And  into  its  liquid  notes  seemed  to  be  blent 
sunthin'  sad  and  sort  o'  comfortin',  and  sunthin' 
high,  and  inspirin',  and  glad. 

I  thought  I  had  seen  and  hearn  most  every  kind 
of  song  bird  sence  I  had  been  South  ;  but  thinkses  I 
to  myself,  I  don't  believe  I  ever  see  a  bird  that 
looked  exactly  like  that,  or  heard  a  song  that  wuz 
quite  so  sweet,  so  sad. 

It  sot  there  for  all  the  world  as  if  it  wuz  a  waitin' 
for  sunthin'. 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  357 

I  didn't  say  nuthin',  but  I  couldn't  help  watchin' 
it.  I  felt  queer. 

Bimeby  Victor  came  up  the  steps  and  come  in — 
he  had  been  down  on  the  lawn  for  a  flower  for 
Genieve— and  bein'  startled  by  him,  I  spoze,  the 
bird  flew  up  a  little  ways  onto  a  branch  that  hung 
over  the  porch,  and  kep'  on  with  that  same  plaintive, 
sweet  song,  and  it  had  that  same  air  as  if  it  wuz  a 
waitin',  waitin'  for  somebody  or  sunthin'. 

But  pretty  soon  Maggie  come  in,  and  Victor 
begun  to  tell  us  how  all  his  preparations  wuz  com 
pleted,  and  about  his  plans,  and  his  hopes,  etc.,  and 
I  got  all  took  up  with  'em,  and  then  I  had  to  set  my 
heel — or  ruther  Josiah's  heel,  and  that  takes  up 
sights  of  mind  and  intellect  to  do  it  jest  right. 

And  jest  as  I  got  it  set,  in  come  Snow,  the  pre 
cious  darlin',  with  her  youngest  dolly  in  her  arms. 

She  made  me  kiss  it  good-night.  I  didn't  really 
want  to,  its  face  wuz  pasty  and  bare  in  patches, 
but  I  done  it,  and  got  two  kisses  from  Snow's  sweet 
little  lips  to  take  the  taste  out  of  my  mouth. 

And  as  I  had  kissed  the  doll  affectionate  and  ac- 
cordin'  to  her  wishes,  she  put  up  her  little  hand  to 
my  face  in  that  sweet  caress  she  always  gin  me 
when  she  wuz  real  satisfied  and  happy  with  what  I 
had  done,  or  when  I  felt  bad  about  anything. 

And  as  I  bent  my  head  for  that  lovin'  and  tender 
caress,  oh,  how  joyful  and  clear  that  bird's  song 
did  sound  through  the  twilight  ;  it  rung  out  as  if 
whatever  it  wuz  waitin'  for  had  come  nigh  it,  and 
its  little  lonesome  heart  wuz  full  of  content  and 
joy. 

And  after  she  left  rny  side,  Snow  kissed  her  man> 


35  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE   RACE   PROBLEM. 

ma  and  then  went  up  to  bid  Victor  good-night.  She 
loved  Victor,  and  he  loved  her  dearly.  And  know- 
in'  it  would  be  the  last  time  he  would  ever  have  the 
chance  agin  most  likely,  he  felt  agitated  and  sorry, 
and  took  the  dear  little  creeter  up  in  his  arms,  dolly 
and  all. 

As  he  did  so  I  thought  I  heard  the  sound  of  steps 
in  the  garden,  but  I  glanced  out  past  Victor  and 
couldn't  hear  anything  more,  only  that  plaintive  bird 
song,  low,  and  strange,  and  thrillin'. 

And  I  kep'  on  with  my  work.  But  agin  we  all 
thought  we  heard  steps,  and  we  listened  for  a  min 
ute,  but  everything  wuz  still.  But  sunthin'  drawed 
my  eyes  to  look  up  at  little  Snow,  and  even  as  I 
looked  a  ball  come  crashin'  through  the  window  and 
went  right  through  that  baby's  breast. 

Victor  sprung  to  his  feet  and  sez  : 

"  That  wuz  meant  for  me  !" 

And  as  he  looked  down  on  Snow  he  cried  out  : 

"  My  God  !  has  it  killed  the  child  ?" 

But  he  laid  her  down  on  the  lounge  right  by  him, 
and,  bold  as  a  lion,  and  as  if  to  shield  us  all  from  fur 
ther  harm,  he  sprang  out  on  the  piazza  and  from 
there  to  the  ground,  and  faced  the  gang  of  masked 
men  we  could  see  surroundin'  him. 

But  we  couldn't  f oiler  him  with  any  of  our 
thoughts  ;  all  of  our  hearts  wuz  centred  on  our  lit 
tle  lamb. 

She  lay  there  white  as  death  where  Victor  put  her. 
She  lay  there  still,  with  her  big  blue  eyes  lookin' 
up— up— and  what  did  they  see  ?  Wuz  the  Form  a 
bendin'  over  her  ?  We  thought  so,  from  her  face — 
such  a  look  of  content,  and  understandin',  and  com- 
*'' 


SAMANTHA    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  359 

prehension  of  sunthin'  that  wuz  beyend  our  poor 
knowledge. 

For  a  minute  she  looked  up  with  that  rapt  look  on 
her  face,  and  then  she  tried  to  lift  her  little  white 
hand  in  that  pretty  gesture  of  greetin'  somebody  we 
couldn't  see. 

And  then  she  slowly  turned  her  look  onto  all  of 
us,  full  of  love — love  and  pity  ;  and  then  she  wuz 
gone  from  us  ;  we  had  only  the  beautiful  little  body 
left. 

We  couldn't  believe  it  ;  we  wuz  stunned  and 
almost  killed  with  the  suddenness  of  it,  the  terrible- 
ness,  the  onheard-of  agony  and  pity  of  it. 

But  it  wuz  so.  When  we  had  come  to  ourselves 
a  little,  and  sent  for  the  doctor,  and  worked  over 
her,  and  wept  over  her  till  fur  into  the  night,  we 
had  to  believe  it — dear  little  Snow  had  gone. 

Victor,  full  of  thought  for  Genieve,  for  us  all,  led 
the  gang  away  under  a  clump  of  magnolias  in  a  dis 
tant  part  of  the  grounds,  nigh  to  the  little  tomb  of 
Belle  Fanchon. 

They  faced  him,  their  faces  full  of  brutal  anger, 
and  low  envy,  and  all  bad  passions.  Led  on  by  the 
cruel  lies  and  influence  of  Col.  Seybert,  and  their 
own  low  distrust  and  dislike  of  superiority  in  one  of 
their  own  class,  their  own  besotted  ideas  of  their 
personal  freedom — 

They  told  Victor  they  would  give  him  a  chance 
for  life.  Let  him  give  up  his  ideas  of  colonization, 
let  him  give  up  his  plans  of  enrichin'  himself  on  the 
earnings  of  the  poor,  let  him  show  he  wuz  one  of  his 
own  people  by  goin'  back  to  his  work  again  to  Col. 
Seybert's—  they  would  give  him  this  one  chance. 


FACED  THE  GANG  Of  BASKED 


SAMANTHA    OiV   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  361 

Victor  turned  his  deep,  pitiful  eyes  on  the  imbrut- 
ed  forms  before  him,  some  black  and  some  white, 
but  all  covered  with  the  blackness  of  ignorance,  and 
superstition,  and  causeless  anger,  and  brutality  — 

And  he  sez  to  them,  "  My  friends  and  brothers,  I 
have  only  wanted  to  do  you  good.      Heaven  is  my 
witness  I  have  only  sought  out  a  better  way  for  you 
And  I  have  been  willing  to  spend  my  life  and  strength 
to  help  you.     This  country  is  no  place  for  us." 

"  It  wuz  good  nuff  for  our  faders  and  muders, 
and,  'fore  Gawd,  it  is  good  nuff  for  us,"  shouted  out 
some  one  in  the  crowd. 

"  I  have  wanted  to  help  you  all — to  help  myself 
to  a  better  way  of  living.  The  evils  we  have  about 
us  are  not  of  our  own  making  nor  of  this  generation — 
they  are  old  and  heavy  with  sorrow  and  iniquity. 
This  land  is  burdened,  and  cries  out  under  this  load 
of  woe,  and  perplexity,  and  sin.  I  have  tried  the 
old  way — we  all  have — we  have  been  burdened 
more  than  we  could  bear  in  the  old  paths.  I  have 
only  sought  to  lead  my  people  out  into  a  safer, 
broader  place,  where  we  could  be  free  from  some  of 
the  worst  evils  that  beset  us  here,  and  where  there 
is  a  chance  for  us  to  have  a  home  and  a  country  of 
our  own." 

"  Curse  you  !  shet  up  your  jaw  !"  sung  out  one 
burly  ruffian,  in  the  thick  tones  of  semi-intoxication. 
For  Col.  Seybert  had  not  failed  to  prime  up  their 
courage  with  bad  whiskey.  "We  have  heard 
enough  of  your  yawp  !  Will  you  give  up  your 
plans  or  not  ?" 

"Never!"  said  Victor.  "I  will  never  give  up 
this  hope,  this  work  while  I  live," 


362  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

"  Then  you  may  die,  curse  you  !"  said  one  voice. 

And  another  voice  rose  up  in  venomous,  brutal 
tones : 

"  You  have  preached  your  damned  sermons  about 
patience,  and  forgiveness,  and  all  that  bosh,  and  you 
have  been  all  the  time  a  carry  in'  on  your  under 
handed  stealin',  and  featherin'  your  own  nest  out  of 
the  hard-earned  wages  of  the  black  men.  And  they 
say,"  went  on  this  voice,  which  wuz  evidently  the 
voice  of  a  white  man,  "  they  say  that  you  are  a 
goin'  to  sell  the  hull  crew  you  take  over  for  slaves 
and  line  your  own  pockets  with  the  blood-money  of 
your  brothers — you  traitor  you  !" 

Victor  raised  his  arms  mutely  to  the  heavens  as  if 
to  plead  aginst  the  injustice  of  men. 

And  as  his  clasped  hands  wuz  raised,  a  bullet 
struck  that  noble  heart,  and  he  fell,  breathin'  out 
that  old  prayer  : 

"  Lord,  lay  not  this  sin  to  their  charge." 


"WHEN  THE  MOON  HAD  RISEN." 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 

WHEN  the  moon  had  risen  a 
little  higher  and  its  direct 
rays  fell  down  through  the 
glossy  leaves  onto  that 
white,  kingly  face,  another 

shadow  fell  on  the  green,  blossomin'  sward,  and  a  pale 
face  looked  through  the  branches,  and  Genieve  stood 
there  by  the  dead  form  of  the  man  she  worshipped. 
It  wuz  all  over.  She  could  do  nothin' — wimmen 
seldom  can  in  tragedys  arisin'  from  grave  political 
difficulties. 

But  there  is  one  thing  she  can  do — she  is  used  to 
it — she  can  suffer.  Genieve  could  throw  herself 
down  upon  the  silent,  cold  body  of  her  lover,  while 
like  a  confused  dream  the  whole  past  rushed  through 
her  mind.  Her  glowing  hopes  cut  short,  her  life's 
happiness  all  slain  by  the  enemies  of  truth.  She 
could  lie  there  and  try  to  think  of  the  years  between 
her  and  death.  How  could  she  live  them  ? 

As  she  lies  there  prone  in  her  helpless  and  hope 
less  wretchedness,  she  is  not  a  bad  symbol  of  her  race. 


364  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

Heart-broken,  agonized  through  the  ages,  helpless 
to  avenge  her  wrongs,  too  hopeless  and  heart-broken 
to  attempt  it  if  she  could. 

Her  life  ruin  brought  about  by  the  foolishness  of 
preachin'  what  is  wrong. 

The  happiness  or  the  wretchedness  of  one  colored 
woman  is  of  too  little  account  to  make  it  a  factor  in 
the  settlement  of  grave  political  affairs. 

The  tragedy  in  the  magnolia  shadows  is  nothin' 
unusual  ;  such  things  must  occur  in  such  environ 
ment — statesmen  expect  it. 

And  after  all,  they  may  reason,  it  is  only  the 
takin'  off  of  one  of  the  surplus  inhabitants.  Indeed, 
some  contend  that  the  speedy  extinction  of  all  newly 
made  citizens,  colored,  and  troublesome,  either 
South  or  West,  is  the  surest  and  safest  solution  of 
the  vexed  problem. 

And  this  is  only  one  the  less  of  an  inferior  race. 

And  yet  as  he  lays  there,  his  wide-open  eyes  look 
up  into  the  bending  heaven  as  if  demanding  justice 
and  pity  from  Him  who  left  thrones  and  divine 
glory  to  dwell  with  the  poor  and  despised,  who 
wept  with  them  over  their  dead,  and  who  is  now 
gone  into  the  heavens  to  plead  their  cause  aginst 
their  oppressors. 

As  he  lays  there  his  face  is  wet  with  tears  of  a  very 
human  anguish. 

Somehow  this  easy  answer  is  not  workin'  well  in 
this  case. 

And  up  in  the  mansion  house  grief  wails  for  the 
eternal  losses  caused  by  this  same  blunder. 

There  are  the  innocent  sufferin'  for  the  guilty. 
The  old  puzzle  unfoldin'  itself  anew  —of  the  close 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  3^5 

links  bindin'  human  brotherhood.  And  how  the 
rough  breakin'  of  one  link  is  hazardous  to  all  the 
golden  rings  of  the  chain  that  binds  humanity  to 
gether. 

Poor  Josiah  Alien  !  the  doctrine  he  preached  so 
long — that  if  you  let  an  evil  alone  it  will  do  you  no 
harm— wuz  all  broke  down  and  crushed  to  pieces. 
Poor  old  man  !  mournin'  over  the  sweet  bud  that 
too  ontimely  perished  in  its  first  bloom. 

Poor  man  !  poor,  broken-hearted  old  Grandpa — 
with  the  silver  voice  that  used  to  make  a  music  of 
that  name  stilled  forever. 

How  can  any  pen,  no  matter  how  touched  with 
flame  from  the  altar,  how  can  it  picture  that  night  ? 
Maggie  layin'  like  death,  passin'  from  one  faintin' 
fit  into  another. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  poor,  poor  boy,  lookin'  up  into 
my  face  with  dumb  pleadin'  for  the  comfort  he 
could  not  find  there. 

No,  I  couldn't  comfort  him  at  that  time,  for  what 
wuz  I  n  thinkin'  of,  in  the  impatience  of  my  agony, 
the  onreasonableness  of  my  bewildered,  rebellious 
pain  ? 

I  said  in  them  first  hours,  and  I  turned  my  face 
away  from  the  light  as  I  said  it,  "  Darkness  and  de 
spair  is  over  the  hull  world.  Snow  is  dead  !" 

And  I  thought  to  myself  bitterly,  what  if  the 
South  duz  rise  up  out  of  its  dark  dreams  into  a 
glorious  awakenin',  a  peaceful,  prosperous  future — 
what  of  it?  Our  darlin',  the  light  of  our  eyes,  has 
gone  forever.  What  can  any  sunshine  do,  no  mat 
ter  how  bright,  only  to  pour  down  vainly  upon  the 
sweet  blue  eyes  that  will  never  open  again  ?  And 


366  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

fur  in  the  East  a  grand  republic  may  rise  holdin'  in 
its  newer  life  the  completed  knowledge  of  the  older 
civilizations.  But  Snow  is  dead  ! 

Yes,  I  sez  to  myself,  as  did  another,  "  If  they 
want  a  new  song  for  their  Africa  free,  let  none  look 
to  me,"  I  sez,  "  my  old  heart  cannot  raise  to  an 
thems  of  joy  and  glory." 

No  ;  my  heart  is  bendin'  over  a  little  cold  form. 
Between  the  sun-bright  glory  of  that  new  and  free 
land  stands  a  little  tender  form  with  a  bleedin'  stain 
on  its  bosom. 

Or  is  it  beckonin'  ?  Was  it  the  glow  from  them 
shinin'  curls  that  lightened  the  eastern  sky  ?  Duz 
she  speak  in  the  pathos  and  beauty  of  our  hearts' 
desire  for  a  race's  freedom  ?  Dear  little  soul,  so 
pitiful  of  all  sufferin',  duz  she  help  them  who  loved 
her  to  be  patient  with  ignorance,  and  intolerance, 
squalor,  and  power  ?  Patient  with  all  and  every 
form  of  error  and  woe  ? 

She  lays  under  a  flowery  mound  in  the  summer 
grounds  of  Belle  Fanchon,  close  to  the  grave  of  the 
other  little  sleeper  that  slept  so  long  there  alone. 
The  rivulet  wraps  its  warm,  lovin'  arms  close  about 
both  little  graves. 

Near  by,  just  across  the  valley,  reposes  the  form 
of  Victor  the  king.  Victor  over  ignorance,  over 
wickedness,  victor  over  his  enemies,  for  he  died 
blessin'  them.  How  else  could  he  get  the  victory 
over  his  murderers  ? 

Ah  !  the  flowers  from  these  graves  risin'  up  to 
gether,  will  they  not  sweeten  and  purify  the  soil 
that  nourishes  them — subtle  perfume  risin'  out  of 


SA MANTUA    ON    THE   RACE   PROBLEM.  367 

the   black  soil  and    darkness,    sweet   and    priceless 
aroma  risin'  to  the  heavens  ? 

Upon  the  ancient  altars  the  ripe  fruit  wuz  laid, 
and  the  flowers. 

God  knows  best  !  Oh,  achin'  heart,  where  the 
silken  head  rested,  and  which  will  be  empty  and 
achin'  forevermore  ;  oh,  streamin'  eyes,  tear-blind 
ed  and  anguished,  that  will  never  again  see  the 
sweetest  form,  the  loveliest  face  that  earth  ever 
held,  what  can  they  say  but  this — God  knows  best ! 

And  they  can  think  through  the  long  days  and 
nights  of  hopelessness  and  emptiness,  that  her  sweet, 
prophetic  eyes  have  found  the  Realities  made  visible 
to  her  onknown  to  the  coarser  minds  about  her. 

The  Form  that  bent  over  her  cradle  and  whis 
pered  to  her  has  taken  her  now  to  a  close  and  guard- 
in*  embrace. 

Wuz  it  some  fair,  sweet  messenger,  some  gentle 
angel  guide,  or  wuz  there  in  the  hands  held  out  to 
her  the  mark  of  the  nails  ? 

The  glow  that  lit  up  her  shinin*  hair  from  some 
radiant  realm  onbeknown  to  us  wraps  her  round  in 
its  pure  radiance. 

Little  Snow  has  gone  into  the  Beloved  City  ;  but 
alas  for  the  hearts  that  strive  to  follow  her  and  can 
not  ! 

But  her  sweet  little  body  is  a  layin*  close  by  the 
side  of  the  little  girl  who  went  to  sleep  there  thirty 
years  ago. 

Over  her  is  a  small  headstone  bearin'  this  inscrip 
tion  :  "  Little  Snow,"  and  under  it  are  the  only 
words  that  can  give  any  comfort  when  they  are  cut 


368  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE   RACE  PROBLEM. 

in  the  marble  over  a  child's  grave  :  "  He  carries  the 
lambs  in  His  bosom." 

And  so  as  the  years  go  on  the  leaves  and  blossoms 
will  rustle  in  the  soft  mornin'  breeze  over  the  two 
little  girls  sleepin'  in  peace  side  by  side  in  the  old 
garden. 

I  wonder  if  they  have  found  each  other  up  in  the 
other  garden  that  our  faith  looks  up  to — if  they  have 
made  garlands  of  the  sweet  flowers  that  have  no 
earthly  taint  on  'em  and  don't  fade  away,  and 
crowned  each  other's  pretty  heads.  I  wonder  if 
they  ever  lean  over  the  battlements  of  Heaven  and 
drop  any  of  them  sweet  posies  on  the  bare,  hard 
pathways  their  friends  that  they  left  below  have  to 
walk  in. 

Mebby  so  ;  mebby,  when  in  our  hard,  toilsome 
day  marches,  a  hint  of  some  strange  brightness  and 
glory  touches  our  poor  tired  spirits,  when  some 
strange  comfort  and  warmth  seem  to  come  sudden 
and  sweet  onto  us,  comin'  from  we  know  not  where 
— mebby,  who  knows,  but  it  is  from  the  glowin' 
warmth  and  beauty  of  them  sweet  invisible  flowers 
that  we  cannot  see,  but  yet  are  a  lyin'  in  our  path 
way,  droppin'  on  our  poor  tired  heads  and  hearts. 

I  don't  know  as  it  is  so,  and  then,  agin,  I  don't 
know  as  it  hain't  so. 


EXILED    BIRDS. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

HEN  a  long  flight  of  exiled  birds  stand 
ready  to  leave  the  South  land  for  their 
old  home  again,  whence  they  fled  be 
fore  the  stormy  blasts — 

As  they  are  drawn  up  in  a  line,  high  in  the  morn- 
in'  sky  waitin'  for  the  leader's  signal  to  raise  their 
wings  and  strike  out  northward  through  the  pathless 
fields  of  blue — 

If  some  cruel  shot  strikes  down  that  gallant  lead 
er,  the  hull  flock  is  bewildered  and  full  of  panic  and 
distress  for  a  time. 

But  a  new  leader  takes  his  place,  and  the  solid 
phalanx  rises  up  and  takes  wing  for  their  old  home, 
which  is  again  to  them  the  new. 

The  flight  goes  on  just  the  same,  and  perhaps  no 
one  but  his  mate  feels  the  loneliness  and  emptiness 
of  the  clear  blue  sky. 

Though  mebby,  if  she  is  so  blessed,  she  may  feel 
the  waftin'  of  shadow  wings  beside  her,  and  a  nearer 
presence  than  the  livin'. 

Felix  took  the  place  of  leader  in  the  enterprise, 
and  though  it  wuz  delayed  for  a  little  time,  it  went 
on  to  success.  Though  the  great  heart  that  planned 
it  lay  silent  in  death. 


3 ?°  MANTHA   Oft  THE  RACK  PROBLEM. 

Perhaps  Genieve  felt  that  his  influence  wuz  still 
guidin'  her,  that  he  wuz  helpin'  the  colony  still  ; 
that  bowin'  down  in  the  presence  of  the  Crucified, 
he  brought  gifts  of  surer  success  to  his  people  than  he 
could  if  he  wuz  still  with  them  in  the  mortal  body. 

Felix  wuz  a  favorite  with  the  company,  and  though 
he  had  not  Victor's  genius  nor  the  native  gifts  of 
prudence  and  foresight  that  he  had  possessed,  his 
long  apprenticeship  to  sorrow  and  peril  had  made 
him  wise  and  patient. 

He  wuz  helped,  too,  greatly  by  the  calm  fortitude 
and  Christian  principle  of  Cousin  John  Richard  and 
the  fervid  devotion  of  Father  Gasperin. 

There  wuz  a  rumor  that  the  Government  wuz 
bein'  importuned  by  one  in  high  authority,  and  wuz 
only  waitin'  to  learn  the  success  of  this  venture,  to 
send  Government  vessels  over  with  the  freedmen, 
with  help  to  maintain  the  poorer  ones  for  a  year  and 
get  them  started  in  their  new  life.  But  it  might 
have  been  only  a  rumor.  As  I  said,  Victor's  death 
made  a  delay  in  the  exodus,  and  it  wuz  durin'  those 
weeks  of  delay  that  Genieve  received  a  large  packet 
of  law  letters. 

Her  father  had  died  in  France,  and  Genieve  had 
been  left  his  heiress.  A  goodly  sum  had  been  left 
to  this  lawyer  if  he  wuz  successful  in  findin'  his 
child.  Perhaps  by  reason  of  this  the  search  had 
proved  successful. 

Genieve  wuz  a  great  heiress,  for  Monseur  De 
Chasseny  had  no  children  by  his  French  marriage— 
his  lawful  wife  wuz  dead.  And  the  memory  of  the 
great  love  of  his  life  wuz  with  him  to  the  last.  In  a 
will  made  on  his  death-bed,  he  left  all  his  large  for- 


SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  37  * 

tune  to  Genieve,  ' '  the  child  of  the  only  woman  he 
had  ever  loved," 

So  said  a  letter  left  in  the  same  package  with  the 
will. 

This  wealth  enabled  her  to  do  much  for  the 
colony,  helpin'  them  to  good  schools,  good  books, 
good  food  and  clothin',  and  the  teachin'  and  the 
trainin'  that  would  make  them  self-supportin'. 

Genieve  studied  harder  than  ever,  worked  harder 
than  ever  for  the  good  of  her  people,  after  the  livin' 
Victor  passed  from  her  life.  The  immortal  Victor, 
the  saint,  the  hero  Victor,  always  stood  beside  her. 
He  would  not  let  her  sink  into  the  gloom  and  inac 
tivity  of  hopeless  sorrow.  He  nerved  her  to  new 
activities.  He  held  her  hand  that  wrote  stirrin'  ap 
peals,  and  helpful,  encouragin'  words  for  the  New 
Republic.  He  inspired  the  vision  that  saw  it  risin' 
fair  and  proud  from  the  ashes  of  a  dead  past. 

She  studied  history  that  she  might  help  make  a 
noble  history  for  the  new  land  ;  she  studied  law,  and 
literature,  and  music,  all  with  this  sole  ambition  of 
helpin'  her  mother's  race. 

The  children  of  the  colony  almost  idolized  her, 
and  in  their  love  and  constant  companionship  she 
found  her  greatest  earthly  comfort. 

She  taught  them  all  that  she  learned  herself, 
taught  them  with  the  present  love  of  all  her  lovin' 
heart,  and  with  the  fur-seein'  eye  of  one  who  sees  in 
this  new  generation  the  future  blessing  and  regenera 
tion  of  her  people. 

And  above  all  other  lessons  she  taught  them  the 
Bible  with  the  childlike  faith  of  one  who  sits  at  the 
feet  of  the  Christ. 


372  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

She  studied  it  and  taught  it  with  the  rapt  vision 
and  earnestness  of  a  prophet  who  saw  that  the  best 
future  of  her  beloved  New  Land  rested  upon  the 
victories  of  the  bloodless  armies  of  the  cross. 

She  had  the  faith  that  Paul  had  when  he  gave 
utterance  to  these  incomparable  words,  and  she  saw 
through  faith  that  her  race  should  "  subdue  king 
doms,  work  righteousness,  stop  the  mouth  of  lions, 
out  of  weakness  be  made  strong." 

Her  people  needed  her  ;  she  wuz  in  no  hurry  to 
lay  down  her  life-work.  She  wuz  willin'  to  stay  in 
the  vineyard  and  work  as  long  as  the  Master  willed. 

But  she  felt  that  when  the  starry  nightfall  come 
and  the  workers  wuz  dismissed,  the  rest  would  be 
sweet.  And  oh  !  how  wistfully  she  looked  forward 
to  that  land  that  lay  beyend  the  New  Republic, 
where  she  should  receive  "  her  dead  raised  to  life 
again."  When  on  the  threshold  of  the  new  life  Vic 
tor  would  meet  her  and  lead  her  forward  to  Him 
that  wuz  slain.  .  Where  she  would  dwell  with  him 
forever  in  that  continuin'  city  which  by  faith  she 
saw  while  yet  in  the  body. 


CHAPTER   XX. 

HE  relation  on  Maggie's  side  is  dead. 
Some  said  of  heart  failure,  others 
said  of  a  broken  heart  caused  by  disap 
pointed  ambition. 

Yes,  somebody  else  got  higher  than 
he  wuz,  and  he  fit  too  hard.  Goin'  round  election- 
eerin',  makin'  speeches  by  night,  travellin'  by  day, 
pullin'  wires  here  and  pullin'  wires  there,  bam- 
boozlin'  this  man,  hirin'  that  man,  bribin'  the  other 
man,  and  talkin',  talkin',  talkin' to  every  one  on  'em. 
Climbin'  hard  every  minute  to  get  up  the  high  mount 
of  his  ambition,  slippin'  back  agin  anon,  or  oftener, 
and  mad  and  bitter  all  the  time  to  see  his  hated  rival 
a  gettin'  nearer  the  prize  than  he  wuz. 

No  wonder  his  heart  failed.    I  should  have  thought 
it  would. 

So   little   Raymond   Fairfax   Coleman   wuz    left  a 
orphan.     And   in   his  father's  will,  made  jest   after 


374  SAMANTHA    O.V   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

that  visit  to  my  son  Thomas  Jefferson,  he  left  direc 
tions  that  Raymond  should  live  with  his  Cousin 
Maggie  and  her  husband  till  he  wuz  old  enough  to 
be  sent  to  college,  and  Thomas  J.  wuz  to  be  his 
gardeen,  with  a  big,  handsome  salary  for  takin'  care 
of  him. 

There  wuzn't  nuthin'  little  and  clost  about  the  re 
lation  on  Maggie's  side,  and  as  near  as  I  could  make 
out  from  what  I  hearn  he  kep'  his  promise  to  me. 
And  I  respected  him  for  that  and  for  some  other 
things  about  him.  And  we  all  loved  little  Ray 
mond  ;  and  though  he  mourned  his  Pa,  that  child 
had  a  happier  home  than  he  ever  had,  in  my  opinion. 

And  1  believe  he  will  grow  up  a  good,  noble  man — 
mebby  in  answer  to  the  prayers  of  sweet  Kate  Fair 
fax,  his  pretty  young  mother. 

She  wuz  a  Christian,  I  have  been  told,  in  full 
communion  with  the  Episcopal  Church.  And  though 
the  ministers  in  that  meetin'  house  wear  longer 
clothes  than  ourn  duz,  and  fur  lighter  colored  oner,, 
and  though  they  chant  considerable  and  get  up  anJ 
down  mor'e'n  I  see  any  need  of,  specially  when  I  am 
stiff  with  rheumatiz,  still  I  believe  they  are  a  re 
ligious  sect,  and  I  respect  'em. 

Wall,  little  Raymond  looked  like  a  different  creetcr 
before  he  had  been  with  us  a  month.  We  made  him 
stay  out-doors  all  we  could  ;  he  had  a  little  garden 
of  his  own  that  he  took  care  of,  and  Thomas  J.  got 
him  a  little  pony.  And  he  cantered  out  on't  every 
pleasant  day,  sometimes  with  Boy  in  front  of  him — 
he  thinks  his  eyes  of  Boy.  And  before  long  his  lit 
tle  pale  cheeks  begun  to  fill  out  and  grow  rosy,  and 
his  dull  eyes  to  have  some  light  in  'em, 


•'MAKIN'  SPEECHES," 


SA  MA  NTH  A   ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

He  is  used  well,  there  hain't  a  doubt  of  that. 
And  he  and  Babe  are  the  greatest  friends  that  ever 
wuz.  They  are  jest  the  same  age— born  the  same 
day.  Hain't  it  queer?  And  they  are  both  very 
handsome  and  smart.  They  are  a  good  deal  alike 
anyway  ;  the  same  good  dispositions,  and  their  two 
little  tastes  seem  to  be  congenial. 

And  Josiah  sez  I  look  ahead  !  But,  good  land  !  I 
don't.  It  hain't  no  such  thing  !  The  idee  !  when 
they  are  both  of  'em  under  eight. 

But  they  like  to  be  together,  and  I  am  willin'  they 
should  ;  they  are  both  on  'em  as  good  as  gold. 

And  on  Babe's  next  birthday,  which  comes  in 
September,  I  am  goin'  to  get,  or  ruther  have  my 
companion  get  her  a  little  pony  jest  like  Raymond's. 
I  have  got  my  plans  laid  deep  to  extort  the  money 
out  of  him.  Good  vittles  is  some  of  the  plan,  but 
more  added  to  it. 

I  shall  get  the  pony,  or  ruther  it  will  be  got.  And 
if  them  t\vo  blessed  little  creeters  can  take  comfort 
a  ridin'  round  the  presinks  of  Jonesville  on  their 
own  two  little  ponys,  they  are  goin'  to  take  it. 

Life  is  short,  and  if  you  don't  begin  early  to  take 
some  comfort  you  won't  take  much. 

But  to  resoom.  The  relation  on  Maggie's  side 
has  passed  away,  but  the  relation  on  Josiah's  side  is 
still  in  this  world,  if  it  can  be  called  bein'  in  this 
world  when  your  heart  and  spirit  are  a  soarin'  up 
to  the  land  that  lays  beyend. 

But  1  guess  it  would  be  called  bein*  in  this  world, 
sence  his  labor  is  a  bein'  spent  here,  and  his  hull 
time  and  strength  all  ready  to  be  gin  to  them  who 
are  in  need. 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE   PROBLEM.  377 

He  is  doin'  a  blessed  good  work  in  Victor,  for  so 
their  colony  is  named,  after  the  noble  hero  who  laid 
down  his  life  for  it. 

And  the  place  is  prosperin'  beyend  any  tellin'. 
All  that  Genieve  dreamed  about  it  is  a  comin'  true. 

And  she  is  a  helpin'  it  on  ;  she  spends  her  money 
like  water  for  the  best  good  of  her  people. 

She  didn't  raise  no  stun  monument  to  Victor  ; 
no,  the  monument  she  raised  up  to  his  memory 
wuz  built  up  in  the  grateful  hearts  of  his  people. 

Upon  them,  his  greatest  care  and  thought  when 
here,  she  spends  all  her  life  and  her  wealth. 

She  felt  that  she  would  ruther  and  he  would 
ruther  she  would  carve  in  these  livin'  lives  the  words 
Love  and  Duty  than  to  dig  out  stun  flowers  on  a 
monument. 

And  she  felt  that  if  she  wuz  enabled  to  cleanse 
these  poor  souls  so  the  rays  of  a  divine  life  could 
stream  down  into  'em,  it  wuz  more  comfort  to  her 
than  all  the  colors  that  wuz  ever  made  in  stained 
glass. 

She  might  have  done  what  so  many  do — and  they 
have  a  right  to  do  it,  there  hain't  a  mite  of  harm  in 
it,  and  the  law  bears  'em  out — 

She  might  have  had  lofty  memorial  winders 
wrought  out  of  stained  glass,  with  gorgeous  designs 
representin'  Moses  leadin'  his  brethren  through  the 
Red  Sea,  or  our  Saviour  helpin'  sinners  to  better 
lives — 

And  white  glass  angels  a  bendin'  down  over  red 
glass  mourners,  and  rays  of  glass  light  a  brightenin' 
and  warmin'  glass  children  below  'em. 

There  hain't  a  mite  of  harm  in  this  ;  and  if  it  is  a 


378  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

comfort  to  mourners,  Genieve  hadn't  no  objection, 
and  I  hain't.  And  the  more  beauty  there  is,  natural 
or  boughten,  the  better  it  is  for  this  sad  old  world  any 
way. 

But  for  her  part,  Genieve  felt  that  she  had  ruther 
spend  the  wealth  of  her  love  and  her  help  upon  them 
that  suffered  for  it. 

Upon  little  children,  who,  though  mebby  they 
didn't  shine  so  much  as  the  glass  ones  did,  but  who 


FATHER   GASPERIN. 


wuz  human,  and  sorrowful,  and  needy.  Little  hearts 
that  knew  how  to  ache,  and  to  aspire  ;  innocent, 
ignorant  souls  whose  destiny  lay  to  a  great  extent 
in  the  ones  about  'em  ;  little  blunderin'  footsteps 
that  she  could  help  step  heavenward. 

By  the  side  of  the  plain  but  large  and  comfortable 
church  in  the  colony  there  wuz  a  low  white  cross 
bearin'  Victor's  name. 

But  within  the  church,  in  the  hundreds  of  souls 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  379 

who  met  there  to  worship  God,  his  name  and  influ 
ence  wuz  carved  in  deeper  lines  than  any  that  wuz 
ever  carved  in  stun. 

It  wuz  engraved  deep  in  the  aspirin'  lives  of  them 
who  come  here  to  be  taught,  and  then  went  out  to 
teach  the  savage  tribes  about  them. 

Many,  many  learned  to  live,  helped  by  his  mem 
ory  and  his  influence  ;  many  learned  how  to  die, 
helped  by  his  memory  and  his  example. 

Good  Father  Gasperin,  who  went  with  the  colony, 
has  passed  away.  He  preached  the  word  in  season 
and  out  of  season.  And  his  death  wuz  only  like  the 
steppin'  out  of  the  vestibule  of  a  church  into  the 
warm  and  lighted  radiance  of  the  interior. 

He  knew  whom  he  had  believed.  He  had  seen 
the  good  seed  he  had  sown  spring  up  an  hundred 
fold,  and  ripenin'  to  the  harvest,  that  sown  agin 
and  agin  might  yield  blessed  sheaves  to  the  Lord 
of  the  harvest. 

And  when  the  summons  come  he  wuz  glad  to  lay 
down  his  prunin'  knife  and  his  sickle  and  rest. 

The  same  sunset  that  gilds  the  mound  under 
which  he  sleeps  looks  down  upon  a  low  cottage  not 
very  fur  away. 

It  stands  under  the  droopin',  graceful  boughs  of  a 
group  of  palm-trees  that  rise  about  it,  its  low  bamboo 
walls  shinin'  out  from  the  dark  green  screen  of 
leaves. 

An  open  veranda  runs  round  it  half  shaded  with 
gorgeous  creepin'  vines  glowin'  and  odorous,  more 
beautiful  than  our  colder  climate  ever  saw. 

Inside  it  is  simple  but  neat.  The  bare  floors  have 
a  few  rugs  spread  upon  them,  a  few  pictures  are  on 


"FELIX,   HIS   WIFE   AND   LITTLE   NED.1 


SA MANTUA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  3%I 

the  walls.  A  round  table  stands  spread  in  a  small 
dinin'  room,  with  a  snowy  cloth  woven  of  the  flax  of 
old  Georgia  upon  it. 

Round  the  table  are  grouped  Felix,  his  wife  and 
little  Ned.  In  a  cradle  near  by  lies  a  baby  boy  born 
in  the  New  Republic  ;  his  name  is  Victor,  and  he  is 
the  pet  of  Genieve,  whose  cottage,  much  like  this, 
stands  not  fur  away. 

Through  the  open  lattice  Felix  sits  and  looks  out 
upon  his  fields.  It  is  a  small  farm,  but  it  yields  him 
a  bountiful  support. 

He  and  Hester  have  all  they  want  to  eat,  drink, 
and  wear,  and  their  children  are  bein'  educated,  and 
they  are  free. 

The  vision  that  Genieve  saw  in  the  sunset  light  at 
Belle  Fanchon  has  not  fully  come  yet,  but  it  is  corn- 
in',  it  is  comin'  fast.  Little  Victor  may  see  it. 

Genieve  and  Felix  and  Hester  write  to  us  often, 
and  specially  to  Thomas  Jefferson,  who  has  been 
able  to  help  the  colony  in  many  ways,  and  wuz  glad 
to  do  it. 

For  Thomas  Jefferson,  poor  boy,  though  I  say  it 
that  mebby  shouldn't,  grows  better  and  better  every 
day  ;  but  then  I  hain't  the  only  one  that  sez  it.  He 
found  poured  out  into  his  achin'  heart  the  baptism 
of  anguish  that  in  such  naters  as  hisen  is  changed 
into  a  fountain  of  love  and  helpfulness  towards  the 
world. 

His  poor,  big,  achin'  heart  longed  to  help  other 
fathers  and  mothers  from  feelin*  the  arrow  that 
rankled  in  his  own. 

His  bright  wit  become  sanctified  into  more  divine 
uses.  His  fur-seein'  eyes  tried  to  solve  the  prob- 


382  SAM  AN  TH A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

lems  of  sad  lives,  and  found  many  a  answer  in  peace 
and  blessedness  for  others  that  reflected  back  into 
his  own. 

More  and  more  every  day  did  the  memory  of  lit 
tle  Snow,  so  heart-breakin'  at  first,  become  a  bene 
diction  to  him,  and  a  inspiration  to  a  godlier  livin'. 
He  could  not  entertain  a  wilful  sin  in  the  depths  of 
the  heart  where  he  felt  them  pure,  soul-searchin'  eyes 
wuz  lookin'  now. 

He  couldn't  turn  his  back  onto  the  Beloved  City, 
where  he  felt  that  she  wuz  waitin'  for  him.  No,  he 
would  make  himself  worthy  of  bein'  the  father  of  an 
angel.  He  must  make  his  life  helpful  to  all  who 
needed  help. 

And  to  them  that  she  felt  so  pitiful  towards,  most 
of  all  the  dark  lives  full  of  sin  and  pain,  he  must  help 
to  light  up  and  sweeten  by  all  means  in  his  power. 
And  Maggie  felt  jest  like  him,  only  less  intenser  and 
more  mejum,  as  her  nater  wuz. 

Thomas  Jefferson  and  Maggie  jined  the  Methodist 
meetin'  house  on  probation,  the  very  summer  after 
little  Snow  left  them. 

And,  what  wuz  fur  better,  they  entered  into  such 
a  sweet,  helpful  Christian  life  that  they  are  blessin's 
and  inspirations  to  everybody  that  looks  on  and  sees 
'em. 

To  Raymond  and  Robbie  they  give  the  wisest  and 
tenderest  care.  The  poor  all  over  Jonesville,  and 
out  as  fur  as  Loontown  and  Shackville,  bless  their 
names. 

And  at  Belle  Fanchon,  where  they  always  lay  out 
to  spend  their  winters,  their  comin'  is  hailed  as  the 
comin'  of  the  spring  sun  is  by  the  waitin'  earth. 


s  A  MANTUA  ON  THE  RACE  PROBLEM.        383 

The  errin'  ones,  them  from  whom  the  robes  of 
Pharisees  are  drawed  away,  and  at  whom  noses  are 
upturned,  these  find  in  my  boy  Thomas  Jefferson 
and  his  wife  true  helpers  and  friends.  The}7*  find 
somebody  that  meets  'em  on  their  own  ground — not 
a  reachin'  down  a  finger  to  'em  from  a  steeple  or  a 
platform,  but  a  standin'  on  the  ground  with  'em,  a 
reachin'  out  their  hands  in  brotherly  and  sisterly 
helpfulness,  pity,  and  affection. 

Dear  little  Snow,  do  you  see  it  ?  As  the  tears  of 
gratitude  moisten  your  Pa's  and  Ma's  hands,  do  you 
bend  down  and  see  it  all?  Is  it  your  sweet  little 
voice  that  whispers  to  'em  to  do  thus  and  so? 
Blessed  baby,  I  sometimes  think  it  is. 

Mebby  you  turn  away  from  all  the  ineffable  glories 
that  surround  the  pathway  of  the  ransomed  throng, 
to  hover  near  the  sad  old  earth  you  dwelt  in  once 
and  the  hearts  that  held  you  nearer  than  their  own 
lives.  Mebby  it  is  so  ;  I  can't  help  thinkin'  it  is 
sometimes. 

I  said  that  the  relation  on  Josiah's  side  is  still  in 
the  world,  and  I  believe  it,  because  we  had  a  letter 
from  him  no  longer  ago  than  last  night.  I  got  it  jest 
before  sundown,  and  after  Josiah  handed  it  to  me 
he  went  to  the  barn  to  onharness — he  had  been  to 
Jonesville. 

I  sot  out  on  the  stoop  under  the  clear,  soft  twilight 
sky  of  June,  and  the  last  red  rays  of  the  sinkin'  sun 
lay  on  the  letter  like  a  benediction.    And  under  that 
golden  and  rosy  light  I  read  these  words  : 

II  MY  DEAR  COUSIN  :  Here  in  this  distant  land, 
where  my  last  days  will  be  spent,  my  human  heart 
yearns  over  my  far-off  kindred. 


3*4 


SAM  AN  TH  A    OAT    THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 


"  And  I  send  you  this  greeting  and  memorial  to 
testify  that  the  Lord  has  been  gracious  to  me.  He 
has  permitted  me  to  see  the  desire  of  my  heart.  He 
has  blessed  my  failing  vision  with  the  blessed  light 
of  this  Land  of  Promise. 


"I  SOT  OUT  ON  THE   STOOP. 

"  I  sit  here  as  I  write  on  the  banks  of  a  clear  river 
that  runs  towards  the  South  land. 

"  My  little  cabin  stands  on  its  banks,  and  I  sit  liter 
ally  under  my  own  vine  and  fig-tree,  and  I  can  say  of 
my  home  as  the  prophet  of  old  said  of  a  fair  city  : 
'  It  is  planted  in  a  pleasant  place.' 

"As  my  eyes  grow  dim  to  earthly  things  I  catch 


SAM  A  NTH  A    ON    THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  385 

more  vividly  the  meaning  of  immortal  things  hid 
den  from  me  in  my  more  eager  and  impetuous 
days. 

"  I  am  now  willing  to  abide  God's  will. 

44  I  see,  in  looking  back  to  those  old  days,  that  I 
was  impatient,  trying  to  mould  humanity  according 
to  my  poor  crude  conception. 

"  I  am  now  willing  to  wait  God's  will. 

"  I  see  it  plainly  working  out  the  great  prob 
lem  which  vexed  me  so  sorely. 

"  How  slowly,  how  surely  has  this  plan  been  un 
folding,  even  in  those  long  days  of  slavery,  when  the 
eager  and  impetuous  ones  distrusted  God's  mercy 
and  scouted  at  His  wisdom. 

"  But  how  else  was  it  possible  to  have  taken  these 
ignorant  ones  from  the  jungles  of  Africa  and  made 
of  them  teachers  and  missionaries  of  Christianity 
and  civilization  to  their  own  people  ? 

"  How  else  could  the  story  of  Christ's  life  and 
Christ's  sufferings  and  risen  glory  have  been  so 
clearly  revealed  to  them  as  when  they  were  pass 
ing  through  deep  waters  and  coming  up  out  of  great 
tribulations  ? 

"  Out  of  the  wrath  of  men  He  made  his  will 
known.  While  they  suffered  they  learned  the  fel 
lowship  of  suffering  as  they  could  not  by  any  tongue 
of  missionary  or  teacher. 

'  While  they  were  in  bonds  they  learned  some 
thing  of  the  patience  and  long  suffering  of  Him  who 
endured. 

'  While  the  war  was  raging  on  each  side  of  them 
and  they  passed  unharmed  out  through  the  Red  Sea, 
while  the  contending  hosts  fell  about  them  on  every 


386  SAM  A  NTH  A    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM. 

side,  they  learned  of  the  strength  of  the  Lord,  the 
sureness  of  His  protecting  care. 

41  While  they  were  encamped  in  the  dark  wilder 
ness  between  the  house  of  bondage  and  the  Prom 
ised  Land,  they  learned  to  wait  on  the  Lord. 

"  And  in  that  long  waiting  they  brightened  up  the 
sword  of  wisdom  and  the  spirit  so  they  could  van 
quish  the  hosts  of  ignorance  surrounding  the  land 
from  whence  they  were  taken  in  their  black  igno 
rance,  and  to  which  they  returned  rejoicing,  ready 
to  work  for  Him  who  had  redeemed  them. 

"  I  look  into  the  future  and  I  see  the  hosts  of  igno 
rance,  and  superstition,  and  idolatry  falling  before 
the  peaceful  warfare  of  these  soldiers  of  the  cross. 

"  I  see  the  idols  of  superstition  and  bestial  igno 
rance  falling  and  the  white  cross  lifted  up  and  shed 
ding  its  pure,  awakening  light  over  the  hordes  of 
savage  men  and  savage  women  brought  in,  washed 
and  made  clean,  to  the  marriage  supper  of  the  Lord. 

"  As  for  myself,  I  truly  care  not  how  long  I  may 
wait  my  Master's  call.  For  whatever  pathway  I 
may  tread,  in  this  world  or  the  other,  1  know  that  He 
that  is  risen  will  go  before  me  ;  so  I  fear  not  the  way 
by  land,  however  long,  nor  the  swelling  of  Jordan. 

"  And  either  in  the  body  or  out  of  the  body,  God 
knoweth  best.  I  shall  see  the  fulfilment  of  His 
promises,  I  shall  see  the  working  out  of  His  plan  as 
it  draws  nearer  and  nearer  to  its  perfect  fulfilment." 

I  dropped  the  hands  that  held  that  letter  into  my 
lap,  and  sot  there  in  silence. 

The  sun  had  gone  down,  but  the  west  wuz  a 
glowin'  sea  of  pale  golden  light,  and  above  it  a  large 


SAMANTHA    ON   THE  RACE  PROBLEM.  37 

clear  star  shone  like  a  soul  lookin*  down  into  this 
world,  a  soul  that  had  got  above  its  troubles  and 
perplexities,  but  yet  one  that  took  a  near  and  dear 
interest  in  the  old  world  yet. 

Fur  off,  away  over  the  peaceful  green  fields,  I 
could  hear  the  cow-bells  a  tinklin'  and  a  soundin* 
low  and  sweet,  as  the  herds  wended  their  way  home 
through  the  starry  dusk. 

Everything  wuz  quiet  and  serene. 

And  as  1  sot  there  my  heart  sort  o'  waked  up,  and 
memories  heavenly  sweet,  heavenly  sad,  come  to 
thrill  my  soul  as  they  must  always  do  while  I  stay 
here  below,  till  my  day  of  pilgrimage  is  over. 

But  as  I  sot  there  with  tears  on  my  cheeks  and  a 
smile  on  my  lips — for  I  wuzn't  onhappy,  not  at  all, 
though  the  tears  wuz  in  my  eyes  through  thinkin' 
of  such  a  number  of  things — all  at  once  a  light  low 
breeze  swept  up  gently  from  the  south  or  down  from 
the  glowin'  heavens — anyway  it  come — and  swept 
lovingly  and  kind  o'  lingeringly,  as  if  with  some  old 
lovin'  memory,  over  the  posies  in  the  door-yard,  and 
sort  o'  waved  the  sweet  bells  of  the  mornin'  glories, 
and  fell  on  my  forehead  and  cheek  like  a  soft,  con- 
solin'  little  hand. 

It  sort  o'  stayed  there  and  caressed  me,  and 
brushed  my  hair  back,  and  then  touched  my  cheek, 
and  then — wuz  gone. 


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Samantha  on  the  race    S3  8 
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